


The Ritual

by lulublue1234



Category: K-pop, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alpha/Omega, Alternate Universe, Claming, Explicit Sexual Content, Falling In Love, Gods, Humor, M/M, Mating, Past Lives, Romance, Soul Bond, War, Werewolves in Heat, Wolf AU, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-11
Updated: 2017-05-27
Packaged: 2018-04-25 22:57:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 36,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4979869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lulublue1234/pseuds/lulublue1234
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jimin is a true Alpha from the lineage of The Clan. He has scented to an Omega outside of his bloodline, something that has never happened before. Taehyung is wild, carefree, and unaware that his future is about to change. </p>
<p>Preview: The young Alpha has been battling with the scent for months now, the struggle being difficult because he wants it and doesn’t want it at the same time. The scent is constantly with him, like a warm blanket draped over his soul, and it woos and draws Jimin to the owner. It feels so intense at times that Jimin thinks he is going crazy, the want, desire and need to touch clawing at his nerves.  When the feelings are most powerful, Jimin wants to find the person the aroma belongs to and bury his fangs deep into their flesh, claiming what is rightfully his.</p>
<p>Okay, guys, I am a little, a lot, nervous with this story, so please comment and kudos if you like it. Jimin is not normally written as an Alpha, so yeah nervous. Hope you all like it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Hunt

For Jimin, the world is a mixture of all five senses working in harmony. He can feel the wind as well as taste it and smell it; it’s one of the perks of being a pure Alpha, along with heightened strength and agility. Jimin is a descendant of The Clan, a lineage of “originals.” They are not Alphas born from a bite, or from taking another’s life, but from the true blood of the wolf that runs in their veins. Many believe The Clan to be the ones that started it all, the original, “originals.” They are respected and revered, and it is the dream of every Omega and Beta to be mated or pursued by a member of The Clan.

 

Tonight, the wolf world is quiet with anticipation, waiting with baited breath for history to be made, for tonight, the coupling ritual has begun. Tonight will be the night that Jimin, the only Clan male eligible for mating, will choose the person that will stand by his side for eternity. This coupling will be different from others, since in centuries past The Clan had only mated among themselves. The Alphas of The Clan only scented on their own, choosing to keep their bloodline pure, free from defect and possible contamination. So the fact that Jimin has picked up the scent of an Omega outside of his fold has turned the Wolf World on its heel.

 

The young wolf has been battling with the scent for months now, the struggle being difficult because he wants it and doesn’t want it at the same time. The scent is constantly with him, like a warm blanket draped over his soul, and it woos and draws Jimin to the owner. It feels so intense at times that Jimin thinks he is going crazy, the want, desire and need to touch clawing at his nerves. When the feelings are most powerful, Jimin wants to find the person the aroma belongs to and bury his fangs deep into their flesh, claiming what is rightfully his.

 

However, Jimin worries about what this break in tradition will mean for his fold. Will his desire for something outside of the norm be their undoing? Jimin respects The Clan and loves the legacy that has been handed down to him. Which is why he can’t help the feeling of failure that plagues his insides, because he has stepped outside of the expected.

 

“You still worried about tonight?” Yoongi’s voice stirs Jimin from his thoughts.

 

“Yes,” the answer is simple because there is no need for long lengthy explanations, at least not with Yoongi.

 

“You know you’re not doing anything wrong, right?” Yoongi’s tone is soft and understanding.

 

Yoongi knows why Jimin is fearful, and as a Clan’s man he thinks he’d have the same fears had he scented on someone outside of The Clan. Yoongi has watched the younger wolf fight the scenting, willing himself to bond with someone of his bloodline, but it has been to no avail. Scenting is stronger than will, it is after all how the wolf world finds its other half, its perfect match. Yoongi knows that Jimin can’t fight bonding or make it go away no matter how badly he wants to; it would be as difficult as nailing Jello to a wall.

 

Jimin sighs in response to the man’s question. The Clan has been supportive, and the youngster appreciates it, but it doesn't make the worry or the fear any less. Who is this Omega? What if he brings danger to The Clan?

 

“I was thinking,” Jimin says as he turns slowly to face the older wolf, “Maybe once we mate, I should take whoever it is and go away. I can’t fight the mating, because even now without ever meeting or seeing his or her face, my insides are burning with want. But I don’t wish to bring shame or danger to The Clan, so maybe I should just leave after--”

 

Yoongi cuts him off, “No, that is the coward’s way out, running away. What has made us this resilient, as a people, is that we stand by one another no matter what. The Clan lives and dies together, Jimin. If you leave, you will break us because you take with you a part of what makes us strong.” Yoongi’s words make Jimin’s heart swell with pride.

 

Yoongi's words remind Jimin why he loves his heritage and why he wants to protect it.

 

“Come on, let’s go back. Your mom sent me to get you; she wants to prepare you for tonight’s ritual.” Yoongi says as he lays his hand on Jimin back, leading the younger man back to their home.

 

Jimin nods and allows the man to guide him, his stomach churning with a mixture of excitement and fear. He is nervous, happy, and sad all at the same time, and the young man wonders if everyone feels this way on their mating night. Jimin can’t wait to finally see the person who has been causing all this havoc to his emotions, yet he is not ready to leave this part of his life behind.

 

Mating means he is no longer free to come and go as he pleases, he’ll have a partner now, someone whose feelings and emotions he’d have to consider before is own. Jimin’s life has been selfish for the last twenty years. However, today on the eve of his twenty-first year, the thought of changing the “me” life to a “we” life is slightly terrifying.

 

“Jimin-ah, where have you been?” His mother’s tone is one of worry.

 

The woman knows what her son has been feeling; it is one of the gifts of being a purebred, the birth parent can feel their child’s emotions. She knows that Jimin is afraid of hurting The Clan, but she also knows that The Bond exists for a reason. When an Alpha catches the scent of its mate, nothing else matters until he claims what is his. The coupling is meant as a way for the wolves to complete each other, to find their life partner, the person who makes them stronger and better.

 

In the mating ritual, the Alpha is the only one who scents, and must hunt throughout the night till he finds the owner of the scent. The Omega or Beta is unaware of the bonding, until the moment just before they are claimed. At that moment, “The Heat” overtakes them, and they are filled, no, consumed by a need that only one person can fill, their true mate.

 

“Just needed to clear my mind Omma, sorry for worrying you,” the young alpha replies.

 

“I understand,” his mother wisely replies. She knows better than to push Jimin, the young man always comes around and finds his path once given time to do so.

 

“Come, you need to lay down now, midnight will be here before you know it and the need to mate will grow stronger, it will consume you like a poison in your blood. You will not be able to stop until you find your other half,” The woman says as she hands her son a glass filled with green liquid, “Drink this, it will help you sleep and prepare your body for what lies ahead.”

 

Jimin takes the glass and eyes the liquid curiously. His mother smiles at his trepidation and gestures for him to drink up. Jimin brings the glass to his lips and swallows the contents, the juice is sweet and reminds Jimin of honey, in both consistency and taste. When the liquid hits his stomach, the young wolf is filled with immediate warmth and comfort that soothes him to sleep. The female gently guides her son to the bed, lays him down and sings him a lullaby, and Jimin falls asleep to the cozy feeling of being wrapped in love and peace.

 

 

“Taehyung!” the woman's voice is shrill, her child is exasperating.

 

“I didn’t do it,” the answer comes from the boy, but the female has yet to find the spot the youngster is hiding.

 

“You wouldn’t be hiding from me if you didn’t,” she replies.

 

Taehyung nods his head; she makes a point. Okay, maybe he did do it, but he sure as hell isn’t going to admit it.

 

“Seriously Taehyung-ah, it’s the eve of the coupling, shouldn't you be doing something other than playing tricks on the neighbors?” The woman's voice loses some of its anger.

 

“No, I don’t think so,” Taehyung answers honestly.

 

The boy doesn’t see what the big deal is, he is pretty certain he is not the person that Jimin (the great) will be imprinting on. There is nothing particularly special about him, nothing that would pull Jimin’s scent outside of The Clan.

 

“Kim Taehyung, get down here right now!” His mother spots him hiding in the tree.

 

The young man pouts, and jumps from the branch alighting not so smoothly on the ground. His mother shakes her head in frustration, but cannot resist the tiny smile that breaks across her lips at the boy’s very uncoordinated landing.

 

“Omma,” the boy says as he gets up brushing the dust from his clothing, “I don’t get why everyone is so up in arms about Jimin’s mating. Matings happening all the time, why is this one so different?” Taehyung asks, genuinely confused, “Ouch,” the boy yelps as his mother drags him by the ear into the house.

 

“First, you will go next door and apologize to old man Suho for shaving his dog. Really Taehyung, why would you do that? The poor animal looks like an alien species,” the woman can’t help the snicker.

 

“It's hot outside; the poor thing needed it, so he didn't melt to death. It was an act of kindness; I was being humane,” Taehyung says proudly.

 

His mother sighs, arguing will be of no use, she knows the boy believes his actions are right. “Whatever the reason, you will say you’re sorry.”

 

“Yes Omma,” Taehyung says defeated.

 

“Secondly, when you get back you will get ready for tonight’s mating,” the woman graces the boy with a stern look.

 

Taehyung’s eyes grow wide, “Why?!”

 

“Because Tae, you may not think you are special enough to draw someone’s attention, especially a member of The Clan. However, I know if anyone has the power to do that, it's you.” The woman’s words are sincere she means every word.

 

The boy looks at the older woman, too shocked to reply. Taehyung’s mother had always told him he was special, but he always assumed she meant in a “watch that kid eat the glue” sort of way. Taehyung never attributed it to mean anything other than that he was weird, but her tone says that she doesn’t see him as strange at all; it sounds as though she sees him as remarkable.

 

Taehyung returns home after apologizing to his neighbor and promising to come over every day to walk the older man’s newly shaved puppy, “Because I am too embarrassed to walk him like this,” the older man states.

 

“You’re back,” his mother says as she guides him to the bathroom to prepare.

 

“Omma, I really don’t think this is necessary,” the boy says as his mother tugs at his clothing.

 

“Taehyung-ah, honey, every Omega is preparing for this night. A Clan member is mating outside of the fold, he has scented on an unknown Omega. Why are you so insistent that that Omega isn’t you? Why can’t it be you, what makes Jongin and Sungjong somehow better than you? Are they more special than you, would they have thought to shave the neighbor’s dog because its fur was too hot for the season? Would they spend all night sitting up in a hospital room with a sick old lady until her family was able to make it to her? Taehyung what makes a person special isn’t what’s on the outside, it’s the inside, it’s their heart,” the woman smooths the edges of the boy’s hair, “You, my darling, are the most special person I know.”

 

The woman’s words are like a warm elixir to the boy’s soul, and Taehyung allows her to do what she wants. He feels a tang of sadness hit his heart because he knows that his mother will end up being disappointed when the sun rises and he is still untouched

 

Taehyung’s mother adorns the boy’s body with scented oils to heighten his scent and make it easier for his mate to find him. She then dresses the boy in the ritual clothing, a white cotton gown that was created for easy removal. Alphas under the rage caused by scenting have been known to harm their mate while trying to undress them, and the gown was meant to eliminate possible danger.

 

It’s nine at night when Taehyung crawls into bed, and he feels tired which is very unusual for him. His room smells like honeysuckles and cinnamon spice, another trick meant to make it easier for an Alpha to find his mate. Taehyung falls into slumber the moment his head hits the pillow, and an aroma fills his senses as he drifts into sleep, wrapping him in warmth and filling him with unspeakable peace. However, the scent is not honeysuckles, nor is it the oils that adorn his body. Taehyung’s tired mind can’t place the smell, but it feels like strength and power, and it drags the boy further into dreamland and the youngster happily gives in.

 

The moonlight floods Jimin’s room and illuminates all the dark places, and the man jumps up from his sleep. However, it is not the light that wakes him. Jimin is sweating profusely and his heart rate has tripled in its beats. The alpha’s body feels like it is burning inside out, as though his internal organs have turned into hot lava.

 

The current situation would be terrifying on any other night, but not tonight. Tonight, Jimin’s senses aren’t registering fear. No, what Jimin feels is want, raw, unabashed need that is pulling at his core and begging him to take action. The scent is stronger now, nearly deafening, and it is so thick that Jimin swears he can almost taste it. His olfactory glands fill with the aroma of honeysuckle, cinnamon, and orange spice, and the Alpha’s rage is slowly taking over.

 

Jimin hunches over, transforming from human to wolf, shiny black fur replacing his tan and muscled skin. Jimin is handsome in human form, but he is magnificent in wolf form, radiating the power and strength of an Alpha of The Clan. His dark brown orbs emanate a danger that speaks woe to anyone that would disrupt the path to his chosen. The wolf is on a mission, tonight he will mate, tonight he will claim what’s rightfully his.

 

Jimin smells it, The Heat, he knows it hasn’t hit the other yet, it won’t until moments before Jimin finds him/her. The scent is strong and intoxicating, and fuels the rage within him to near scorching. The Alpha sniffs the air, allowing the scent to guide him to his destination, and he lowers his head and bears his canines.

 

Jimin lets out a howl and finally succumbs to the rage, letting anyone in earshot know that the hunt is on.

 

_Time to claim his mate._


	2. The Heat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So where I live, it is still Jimin's birthday. So, happy Jimin Day!!! This post, however, is a gift to you all, as tomorrow is my birthday. 
> 
> Also, thank you so much Heera for making what I write ten times better.

On most nights, running in the moonlight leaves Jimin feeling as though he is flying, free of the restraints and the worries that often plague him. However, tonight, not even the cool air hitting against his fur can calm the heat that curls and pulls at his core. The wolf is focused, and he has one purpose; follow the scent and find his mate. The Omega’s scent gets stronger the further Jimin travels away from his home and his clan, and soon the scent is the only thing filling the alpha’s senses.

 

The moon is full, and the light illuminates the path before the dark-furred animal, as though it is guiding the wolf on its journey. The rays from the bright orb fuel his soul and strengthen him for the travel, and the Jimin has run for fifteen miles when he comes upon a grove of trees. He slows his pace; colliding with a large solid object was not part of his night’s objectives. He swishes in between the tree trunks with ease and grace, and jumps a fallen branch that threatened to impede his progress. However, once he clears the sea of foliage, Jimin finds himself coming to a complete stop.

 

The moment Jimin steps into the clearing, his senses are invaded by a bevy of scents, each trying to outdo the one aroma that he needs to find. The rage within the wolf is angered by the intrusion; the competing scents are an affront to the Alpha. The other smells disgust and infuriate the animal, causing the rage inside him to burn like a fire threatening to scorch him from the inside out. The wolf lets out a blood-curdling howl out of frustration, willing the invasions to his senses to go away. The anger building inside him makes it hard for the wolf to concentrate, and Jimin knows he needs to get himself under control.

 

The Alpha takes a deep breath and wrangles with all five of his sense, focusing them on one thing - finding the odor that belongs to his mate. One by one Jimin’s senses shut the door on anything that is not the orange spice sweetness that has kept him awake night after night for months. It doesn’t take long for the wolf to once again find the fragrance of his beloved.

 

Got ya.

 

Once he hones in on the pheromone of his life partner, Jimin once again begins the chase, picking up the pace to make up for the time he had lost. The other is near, Jimin can feel it in his bones. His heart rate increases, not from the intense running, but from the anticipation of finally meeting, touching, and claiming his prize.

 

 

The woman has been awake for most of the night, watching over her son. She has seen the tell-tale signs of what the night would bring. The boy’s body is covered in the cold sweat of impending heat, his hair sticking to his damp and sticky forehead. The mother wipes the boy’s skin with a wet washcloth, hoping to bring the young man some comfort from the hotness encompassing his body. Taehyung moans in contentment when the chill of the cloth hits his forehead, and for a moment his sleep is once again serene.

 

She has watched in worry and anticipation as her son writhes and thrashes around in the bed, his body preparing for the change and readying itself to be taken and owned. A smile plays across her lips; she was right. Her Taehyung is indeed special.

 

The memory crashes into her like a wave against the shore.

 

 _The woman knew it the moment she laid eyes on the small child, that he was special, that he would change the world. There was a spark, a fire in the newborn’s eyes that spoke of greatness. His smile was radiant and pure, and the child’s melodic_ coos _filled the woman’s being with unspeakable joy. Without any hesitation, she turned to her husband with tears in her eyes and said what they were both thinking._

_“Him, he’s the one.”_

_Being barren was a stigma in the wolf world. When the doctor had given the woman the devasting news, that she would never give birth, her heart sunk. She worried about how her husband would take the news. It was unfathomable for an Alpha of his stature and strength to not have an heir. She feared that the man would leave, would regret claiming her. She went home with a heavy heart and prepared for the worse._

_But Namjoon didn’t leave, and he didn’t regret anything, and the day they stepped into the orphanage and laid eyes on the brown-haired child, the Alpha fell in love at first sight._ _Taehyung was a rambunctious, giggly ball of energy and the apple of his father’s eye. The child brought them_ joy, _and completed them in ways they never thought possible. He was their world._

 

She hadn’t realized she was crying until she tasted the salt on her tongue. Memories of that day always generated this reaction. That day, Taehyung had done more than take away the reproach of childlessness; on that day, the child had filled a hole in her heart, he had made her whole once again.

 

She pushes the wet strains from the boy’s face, bringing the cloth to his forehead once again. The woman feels a mixture of happiness and sorrow, she always knew the day would come for Taehyung to mate and move away. The moment she heard the news of Jimin’s mating, and that the Alpha scented outside of The Clan, she knew it was Taehyung.

 

The knowledge broke her heart at first, because she would forever lose her child, the second love of her life. But her sorrow soon turned to happiness knowing that her child would leave a legacy. Taehyung would take his kindness and sweetness into that fold and The Clan would be forever blessed because of his presence, Taehyung would make them stronger.

 

She jumps when she hears it, the howl of the Alpha. Jimin is close, almost there. The mother turns to looks at the boy in the bed, and Taehyung begins to struggle harder, his body jerking and moving as The Heat slowly engulfs him. It hasn’t entirely taken over yet, and it won’t until the Alpha is about to claim Taehyung as his mate. She needs to go; her presence could be misinterpreted as an intrusion by Jimin. She leans in a kisses her child on the forehead.

 

“I love you Kim Taehyung, I always will. No matter how far away you go, or how much your life changes, always remember that I am your mother. Nothing will break that bond,” her voice quivers with held back tears, she is not ready to say goodbye, but she knows she has to, “Goodbye my precious boy.”

 

The woman walks out of the room and closes the door behind her. Her husband greets her in the hallway, kissing her gently on the top of the head.

 

“He’ll be okay,” Namjoon says with confidence and the woman nods, allowing her spouse to lead her back to their room.

 

 

Jimin knows he is close; the scent is so strong now that it feels as though the wolf is swimming in it. He tastes the orange spice on the tip of his tongue, and the sweetness is intoxicating and exhilarating. It drags the alpha closer and closer to his destination. Jimin’s need for the owner of the aroma has grown exponentially on the journey, and he is at a near frenzy by the time he finds himself standing before the house the sweetness is emanating from.

 

The window is open and the wolf jumps through with ease, landing gracefully in the boy’s room. The fragrance is overwhelming, and Jimin feels every part of him being taken over slowly by the scent. Orange spice and cinnamon are wafting through each and every one of Jimin's pores, imprinting on the wolf’s DNA and binding his mate’s scent to his internal mechanics. Even if Jimin wanted to escape or wanted to change his mind with regards to the claim at this moment, he’d be powerless to do so. No other spoor would satisfy the wolf from this moment on. Not only does the Omega belong to him, but now Jimin belongs to the other as well; they are now bonded for all of eternity. The mating is merely a technicality, a way for both parties to quench the need which engulfs them due to the bond.

 

As Jimin walks towards the bed, his wolf form begins to recede and his very naked human form starts to take over. Black fur is replaced by a lean toned muscular frame and soft tanned skin. The wolf’s snout shrinks to reveal a button nose, attached to near angelic features, with long lashes and thick full lips which are currently set in an “O.” The man in the bed is beyond beautiful, and Jimin’s breath hitches at the sight of the sleeping male who is currently thrashing around in his sleep.

 

The Alpha stands in awe, watching as The Heat slowly engulfs the sandy-haired man. The sight is exquisite, and Jimin can feel The Heat as it leaves him and attaches itself to the Omega.

 

The boy squirms and flutters about in the bed, and Taehyung’s fingers grip the sheets tightly as though trying to tether himself to something solid. His skin is flushed, and need is slowly filling every orifice of the Omega’s body. The scent Taehyung had experienced just before falling asleep is mixing with his scent and fastening itself to his core. The want and desire submerging his soul makes Taehyung feel as though he is sinking in an ocean of the foreign fragrance.

 

Taehyung tries to open his eyes, he wants to see who or what is causing the delicious throbbing in his gut that makes his toes curl and has his body grinding against the mattress. He can feel the presence in the room, the power the person emits is stifling, and the sensation it creates keeps the Omega’s lids firmly shut.

 

“Please,” Taehyung’s voice cracks around the plea.

 

The boy’s cry pulls Jimin from his musing. The Alpha gets closer to the bed and sits on the edge, eyes raking over the man’s writhing body. Jimin is spellbound by the desire that seems to drip from the man, and he wants to touch him. The wolf rakes his fingers through the man’s sweat-drenched hair and inhales the scent as it wafts into the air, the aroma is a million times more exquisite and intoxicating up close. Jimin has a sudden need to lick the Omega’s flawless skin because he wants to know if it tastes as good as it smells. But the Alpha refrains, allowing The Heat to run its course and prepare the boy for what’s to come.

 

“I know my love,” Jimin says leaning into the man’s ear, “It’s almost time, just a little while longer, okay?”

 

The voice is soothing, and Taehyung feels the tone wrapping itself around his insides and filling him with unspeakable peace, calming him and allowing the warmth which is slowly spreading throughout his body to consume him.

 

Jimin continues his ministration of the Omega’s skin and hair.

 

“Shhh,” Jimin murmurs, “Relax, my love.”

 

Taehyung moans, the sound of the man’s voice is vibrating through his essence, sending tiny tickles of pleasure down his spine. The Heat builds with each passing moment, as it fuses with Taehyung’s core and prepares the man for the Alpha’s claim. Taehyung can sense The Heat beginning to flow through his blood stream and attach to his connective tissues, as if it is rebuilding him from the inside out.

 

“Shhh,” Jimin’s voice is nearly a whisper.

 

Every movement the Omega makes affects the Alpha, shaking Jimin’s resolve to wait for the man to be fully ready. Jimin wants to touch, taste, and feel. The boy’s tiny whimpers and groans have the Alpha’s incisors fighting to come out, and Jimin wants to sink his teeth into the throbbing vein which is begging to be marked. The wolf wants to make the boy in the bed his, and as the Omega’s mewls grow louder and needier, the Alpha’s rage once again ignites.

 

Taehyung’s back arches off the bed and the boy lets out a growl, signaling the completion of The Heat, and at that moment Jimin’s self-control goes flying out the window. However, the Alpha doesn’t move, nor does he touch. Jimin is suddenly aware of how intense his need is, and he is afraid he’ll hurt the man. The Alpha tries to reel in the desire which threats to break him and take away all of his control.

 

But when Taehyung’s mouth opens and a nearly inaudible, “Alpha, please,” escapes the Omega’s lips, Jimin's small attempt at reason dissolves.

 

The wolf leans into the whimpering boy, dipping his head towards Taehyung’s clavicle. Jimin’s lips are mere inches away when Taehyung turns his head on instinct, bearing his neck for the Alpha, silently asking to be marked.

 

Jimin’s incisors lengthen as his lips come into contact with Taehyung’s skin, and as the Alpha sinks his teeth into Taehyung’s soft flesh, he marks the man as his own, and every fiber in Jimin’s being is screaming one word.

 

_CLAIM._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoy chapter two as much as chapter one. Please comment, kudos, or send birthday cake if you like it.
> 
> Happy Reading
> 
> Lulu


	3. The Claim

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jimin finally claims his mate.

********WARNING SMUT INCOMING********

****NC-17, please don't read if smut offends you in any way****

 

It’s eleven in the morning when the woman builds up the courage to walk into her son’s room. She knows the boy will not be there, but she wants to clean the room while she still has the resolve to do so. The woman knows it will hurt when it finally sinks in that she has lost her son forever. Taehyung is a part of The Clan now, and they don’t mix with outsiders.

 

The mother takes a deep breath and opens the door, and she nearly cries out in fright. She is startled by the fact that the Alpha and her son are still in the bed, and she says a silent prayer of gratitude to God because a sheet is currently covering both of the boys’ naked bodies. She smiles, “He didn’t steal him in the night,” the words are whispered to the air.

 

Her smile deepens when she notices that the boys’ hands are linked in their sleep. Taehyung’s head is snuggled into the Alpha’s chest, and their fingers laced together, a serene smile on her son’s face. The woman’s heart swells at the sight because her husband was right; Taehyung will indeed be fine. She turns around, suddenly feeling embarrassed for having witnessed such an intimate scene, and hurries out the door, quietly closing it behind her.

 

Jimin is stirred awake by the clicking of the door and the sunlight that is currently filling every corner of the room. They shouldn’t be here, and Jimin knows that, but their actives last night wore him out. Also, the Omega’s home feels cozy and warm, and Jimin couldn't bring himself to make the man leave. Something inside the Alpha told him that his mate would need time to say goodbye to his family. Jimin could sense the love in this home upon his arrival in the early hours of the morning. The scent of kinship was almost as strong as the one coming from his love, and the aroma brought Jimin comfort because he knew he had scented correctly.

 

Jimin lowers his head, trying to get a better view of the man he was to spend the rest of his days with. From this position, with the man’s head on his chest, all he could make out was a mop of sandy brown hair and the outline of the man’s nose, as well as long lashes touching the very top of angled cheek bones. Jimin smiles because he can’t wait to see the man for real; even through his rage last night, he could tell that the Omega was breathtakingly beautiful. A smile plays across the Alpha’s lips as the events of the night begin to play out like a movie in his mind.

 

_“Alpha, please,” the man’s voice is barely a whisper, but it sounds as though the man is yelling the words through a megaphone to Jimin._

_The Alpha doesn’t want to hurt the man, but he has no self-control when his canines find their way into the man’s soft, willing flesh. The taste is intoxicating, orange spice, and cinnamon is infiltrating Jimin’s taste buds, and that alone is enough to push the Alpha over the edge. Add to that the tiny whines and pleas coming from the Omega and Jimin_ is _seeing red, all his willpower has evaporated, and every part of his being is begging, no, ordering him to claim._

_Jimin’s hand starts pulling at the Omega’s mating gown, bringing it up far enough for the Alpha's fingers to finally make contact with the man’s soft taut skin. The contact is exhilarating, and Jimin wants to do more than just feel. The wolf pushes the gown further up till it is a crumpled stack, laying just below Taehyung’s neck. Jimin brings his lips from the Omega’s neck to the man’s stomach and begins kissing a trail starting from the man’s navel, moving slowly in the direction of Taehyung’s chest._

_Each touch of Jimin’s lips against his skin has Taehyung squirming in pleasure. He has no words to describe the sweet soft touch of the feather-like kisses that are brushing his skin, and the younger boy feels like he is about to burst into flames from the heat the Alpha’s touch is causing inside him._

_Taehyung’s hands are still gripping the sheets; he thinks if he lets go he may sink into the mattress, and the sensation of drowning is too powerful. However, it isn’t a sea of water that is engulfing the Omega, but one of desire and want that pulls at Taehyung core, opening up feelings and emotions which the young Omega has never experienced before._

_Jimin tugs at the fabric pooled at Taehyung's_ chest, _and the Omega lets go of the sheets long enough to allow the Alpha to discard the offending cloth. Jimin’s breath hitches for the second time since laying eyes on his betrothed; the man’s skin is flawless from head to toe, and the need to touch the man everywhere is unbearable. The Omega’s body wasn’t as muscular as Jimin’s, but is was toned in all the right places, and the Alpha watches like he is spellbound as the muscles in the man’s abdomen flex and jerk in response to the touch of his lips. But when the Omega’s hand grabs hold of Jimin’s hair and pushes the Alpha’s head in the direction of where he wanted to be touched most, Jimin can do nothing but obey the man’s wordless command._

_“Oh, God,” Taehyung finally finds his voice, but so far two-word sentences are all he can seem to manage. Phrases such as, “Yes, please”, “Right there", and “More, more” drop from the Omega’s lips, and he prays that the man causing the havoc in his mind can figure out the remainder of his words._

_Jimin likes the sound of his mate’s voice, he likes the desperation and need he hears_ in _the tone. He likes other things too, like how the Omega is currently trying to buck his penis further into the warm caverns of his mouth. However, Taehyung is not succeeding at the task because Jimin’s hands on his hips are holding the Omega firmly in place, allowing the Alpha to set a slow near agonizing pace as he sucks the younger man off. Taehyung would complain, if not for the fact that it feels so damn good._

_“Fuck,” the curse word slips out before Taehyung can stop it, and he doesn’t want the Alpha to think his is some sort of unruly hooligan, but no other words are coming to mind right now._

_Taehyung is so close, so, so close to combusting inside out. His toes are curled, and his body is arching off the mattress because the heat the Alpha’s mouth is creating is so delicious, like tiny bubbles of pleasure bursting in his gut. Taehyung can feel the slick coming from his hole as it runs down his legs, he’s never experienced The Heat before, and he would worry that something was wrong if not for how right everything felt right now._

_“Please, oh, God, Please,” Taehyung begs._

_“Please what, sweetheart?” Jimin asks as his tongue grazed along Taehyung’s slit, before taking the man’s full length once again._

_The Omega shudders beneath the Alpha and tries bucking forward once again, and Jimin increases the pace, bobbing his head up and down on the Omega’s penis furiously. The new speed causes Taehyung’s breathing to grow erratic, and his two-word phrases dwindle down to one word. The boy’s cries and pleas are vibrating throughout Jimin’s body and settling into the hardness that is growing between his legs, and he is not sure how much longer he can hold on._

_“Alph—, please, I – just,” Taehyung’s mind is filled with words that he wants to say, things that he wants to tell the man whose lips are wrapped around his privates, but nothing is coming out._

_The Alpha’s swallows down on the Omega’s cock and nearly comes apart when the man lets out a loud growl before coming, spewing his seed in Jimin’s mouth, and again the orange tang coats Jimin’s taste buds, the Omega is delicious. The Alpha stills his sucking, hollows his cheeks, and allows the man to rock into his mouth riding out his orgasm with tiny thrusts. When the Omega finally stops his movement, Jimin releases the man’s appendage with a lewd, pop, and Taehyung sink into the mattress feeling boneless. The younger man’s brain is a mess and even though he just came, he wants more, he needs more. The burn of desire is still a raging fire in his loins._

_Taehyung’s eyes finally open and for the first time since being awaken by The Heat, his eyes fall on the Alpha hovering above him, his Alpha, Jimin. The light cast by the moon is the only thing illuminating the room, and the glow it offers makes the young Alpha with the dangerous dark orbs that are currently fixed on Taehyung’s lips look almost ethereal, like a dark angel or some otherworldly creature._

_“Jimin,” the name feels good on his tongue and Taehyung smiles his box smile._

_For the third time since laying eyes on his mate Jimin’s breath hitches, and he crushes his lips against the Omega’s. The kiss is dirty and needy, and Taehyung would find it gross because the taste in Jimin’s mouth belongs to him, but there is nothing gross about the Alpha’s tongue licking into his mouth. Nor is there anything disgusting about the clashing of their teeth, or the way the Alpha angles his head to deepen the contact, causing a wayward moan to escape Taehyung’s lips. The kiss is mind blowing, and it takes Taehyung’s breath away, quite literally._

_JImin feels drunk, everything about the man is intoxicating, his scent, his taste, his looks, and God he wants to be buried inside the Omega, knotting them together for the entire night filling the man up till Jimin’s seed spills out of the Omega. Jimin runs his hand down Taehyung side, stopping at the Omega's hip. The Alpha slips his hand between the mattress and the younger man’s bottom, cupping one of Taehyung’s cheeks roughly and kneading the soft, firm flesh. The Alpha realizes with a sense of the glee that the Omega may have a thing for pain when his bites down on the boy’s lower lip only to have the other man shudder and stick his lip out further as though begging for the Alpha to repeat the action._

_“Fuck, you are so hot,” Jimin hisses as he bites into Taehyung lip again, drawing blood this time._

_“Ahh, oh, God, please, please, just—please,” Taehyung is begging, he wants to be filled, he needs to have his Alpha take him._

_The Omega grinds his body into Jimin's, smirking a little when the man lets out a strangled whine when their penises collide. The friction is amazing and Taehyung pushes into the man several more times, creating a rhythm that has them both seeing stars and panting loudly._

_Jimin can’t take it anymore, he is going to come if this continues, and he can’t allow that._

_“Turn over,” Jimin’s commands with a growl._

_Taehyung obeys immediately, his hole is slick and wet, and the need to be knotted has invaded every inch of the Omega’s soul. Taehyung can barely hold himself up, his body is so rocked with need, but he slowly and shakily turns over, laying face down on the bed. Jimin licks his lips, the sight before_ him _is delectable, and the Alpha runs his hand down the Omega’s sweat drenched back, before lowering himself atop the man. Jimin kisses the Omega’s neck, and once again sinks his teeth into the younger man’s flesh for another helping of the exhilarating taste._

_“Alpha,” Taehyung squirms beneath the wolf, pushing his ass upwards and reminding Jimin of what he should be doing._

_“Okay, baby, I know. I want it too, so badly,” Jimin whispers against the Omega’s ear._

_The Alpha sits up on his knees, his eyes roaming over the Omega’s trembling body, and he kneads the man’s ass again, then swipes a finger over Taehyung dripping wet hole._

_“Fuck, you’re so wet, I bet you could take me without any preparation,” Jimin says out loud, mostly to himself, as he visualizes the heat and tightness taking the Omega sans prep would bring._

_Taehyung lets out a needy moan; he wants to tell the man to do it, just goddamn do it, but his words once again are not working. So, instead he bucks up hard and sticks his ass in the air, in a silent plea asking the Alpha to take him._

_Jimin understands exactly what the Omega is asking, and he once again runs his hand down Taehyung back, before slipping a hand around the man’s waist holding him in place as he lines up his penis to Taehyung wet and needy hole. Jimin kisses the Omega’s back as his penis begins to breach the tight ring of muscle._

_Taehyung bites down on his lip to keep from screaming, Jimin is thick and hard, and the push in_ burns, _and the pain is excruciating, but Taehyung enjoys the way he can feel his body reacting to the sting of the assault on his hole. At that moment, it dawns on the Omega, that he likes it, the pain. Taehyung back into Jimin’s heat forcing the Alpha to plunge in hard, and this time Taehyung does scream, the pleasuring ache rocking him to the core._

_“Fu—uck,” Jimin grits his teeth around the word, as he tries to hold himself still against the grinding Omega._

_Want or not, the Alpha knows he could severely hurt the man if the Omega doesn’t allow the stretch to happen. Jimin holds Taehyung firmly in place bringing a halt to the man’s gyration. Taehyung whimpers, trying but failing to push back on Jimin’s cock._

_Tears burn the Taehyung’s eyes, not due to the pain of the stretch, but at the frustration of having his movements stopped._

_“Please, move, just--” Taehyung’s words are once again lost when Jimin obeys._

_The Alpha didn’t need to be told twice; the boy was ready. Jimin pulls out to the tip and tightly grips his mate by the hips, before slamming into the boy with every bit of strength endowed to an Alpha of The Clan. Taehyung shrieks and pushes back with equal vigor._

_“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” the word is on a loop in Jimin’s mind, because, fuck, Taehyung’s tight hole is swallowing his penis, and there is no other way to describe the friction and the heat that pools at his core._

_Jimin’s pace is near frantic as he pounds into the Omega, who takes each hit and pushes back with an equally frenzied motion, the rhythm they set is erratic and symmetric at the same time, like an erotic dance. The only sound filling the room is the beating of flesh on flesh along with the moans and whimpers, each man makes matching the thrust and push of their dance._

_Taehyung comes for a second time because his penis is being continually hammered into the mattress by Jimin’s vigorous and merciless pounding._

_Jimin can feel it as it begins to build and grow, the knot, and if truth be told he is not ready for it to come. The dance they are currently entangled in is so mind blowing and Taehyung’s screams of pleasure each time Jimin punches into his prostate is so intoxicating that Alpha silently begs the knot to just “wait a bit longer.”_

_However, it doesn’t, and as his penis begins to grow, Taehyung’s body sputters and shivers against the Alpha, because Jimin is balls deep inside the man’s ass, and the bulge is pushing and growing right into the Omega’s nerve sack. And Jimin thanks the knot for not listening, because no sound could ever be as pleasing as Taehyung cries of pleasure and pain when they are finally locked together, and the slightest movement by either man has Jimin’s hard_ knot _impacting the Omega’s prostate like a freight train._

_Taehyung loves it, the knotting, it is erotic and intimate at the same time, and in the Omega’s humble opinion, it is the most beautiful feeling in the world. The Omega is so consumed by the Alpha that he can smell the man’s dark musky scent in his sweat as it drips from his pores and runs down his face. Everything about this moment fills Taehyung with warmth, and the bright burning sense of being forever protected, if love were a tangible thing Taehyung is sure this is what it would feel like, and before he realizes he has even spoken, the words fly out his mouth._

_“I love you so much Alpha, my Jimin. I promise never to do anything to hurt you and for as long as I live, I will love you faithfully.” Taehyung means every word, and he doesn’t regret blurting out the statement to a man he is pretty sure doesn’t even know his name._

_Jimin maneuvers them so that Taehyung’s back is touching his front, and leans in resting his chin on Taehyung’s shoulder, causing his breath to coast against Taehyung’s neck and ear like the flutter of butterfly wings when he speaks. Even if Taehyung wanted to regret, the Alpha’s words wipe away all doubts._

_“I have loved you without ever seeing you for months upon months. I have dreamed about you, thought about all the ways I want to make your life better. When I followed your scent to this house, and stood outside your window, I knew no one else would ever do. I will be yours forever, both in life and death.” Jimin whispers the words in Taehyung’s ear; they are meant for him, and him alone. His one true love, his mate forever._

Jimin smiles at the memory; he meant every word of the vow, he would love this man alone in life and death. He runs his fingers through the Omega’s soft hair, and the man stirs at the touch.

 

Taehyung opens his eyes to too much sunshine, and the soft, gentle ministration of his Alpha’s fingers caressing his hair. The Omega inhales deeply, sucking the man’s scent deep into his lungs. He loves the smell, it reeks of dominance and strength, but also of kindness and love.

 

“Morning,” Taehyung says shyly, looking up at the man’s face for the very first time.

 

“Morning,” the Alpha says with equal shyness, which is ironic since they have been as intimate as two people can get.

 

Taehyung scoots beside the Alpha and props himself up on his elbow to get a better look. Jimin is adorable, gone is the dangerous glare from earlier, now replaced by kind eyes, soft fluffy cheeks, and large red pouty lips. The man’s dark hair frames his face, and Taehyung believes his estimation from the night before is correct - the Alpha is definitely part angel.

 

The Omega sits all the way up, and beckons the Alpha to do the same, and Jimin obeys. At that moment, Jimin realizes that he may be the Alpha, but his Omega is most certainly going to be the boss. A small smile plays across Jimin’s lips; he is okay with that.

 

“Hi Jimin, my name is Taehyung. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” the sandy-haired man extends his hand.

 

Yes, I am so okay with that.

 

Jimin’s eyes form the shape of a crescent moon as a smile spreads across his face, and this time it is Taehyung’s breath that hitches.

 

“Morning, Taehyung it's a pleasure to meet you too, _finally_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, guys, so here's the deal, this was meant to be a one-shot, but it was so long that could not happen. I am marking the story complete. However, I more than likely will be updating chapters later on. But before I do, I have several stories to finish first. Thank you to everyone who read, commented and upvoted. And once again thank you Heera, whose tweaks and suggestions moved this story from good, to amazing. Hope you enjoy this final (for now) chapter.
> 
> Happy Reading
> 
> Lulu


	4. The Soujourn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jimin and Taehyung the day after the claim. Namjoon gives the young Alpha some advice, and Tae is just, well, Tae.

Taehyung had forgotten how much he liked to run. The last time he had transformed into his wolf form had been several years ago, when he was trying to escape his very furious Omma, who may or may not have been out to end his life. However, the boy still maintains that while the experiment that caused his near demise was costly to repair (in the form of entirely new carpeting for the family room), it was done in the name of science, for the betterment of all wolf-kind. Who wouldn’t want to know what elephant toothpaste would look like?

 

Taehyung smiles at the memory.

 

The night air is refreshing as it impacts his red-brown fur, causing the tendrils to flow in the wind. It’s freeing and exhilarating, and Taehyung wonders why he had spent so much time in his human form when his wolf form felt so much like home. The younger man fondly remembers hunting in the early morning hours with his father, when the older wolf taught him how to use his sense of smell to find his prey. However, a hunter Taehyung is not, and as a young wolf, he found chasing rabbits to be more fun than stalking them. Tonight Taehyung is not chasing rabbits, though, no, tonight he is leaving the only home he has ever known to embark on what may possibly be the biggest adventure of his life. Tonight he leaves his parents behind to run alongside his life mate, tonight Jimin has become his family.

 

It had taken longer than Jimin expected for Taehyung to say goodbye to his family. They should have left right after the claim, but Jimin didn’t have the heart to tear the man away from his family, so he chose to give the slightly younger wolf some time. However, what Jimin had thought would be a one day set back to allow Taehyung the opportunity to say his goodbyes had turned into three days, and the Alpha knows that Yoongi and The Clan are probably worried that he had made good on his threat to run away with the Omega. Nevertheless, the Alpha does not regret his decision, nor does he regret the time that he had spent getting to know Taehyung’s family.

 

_“Hi Jimin, my name is Taehyung. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” the sandy-haired man extends his hand._

_Jimin’s eyes form the shape of crescent moons as a smile spreads across his face, and this time it is Taehyung’s breath that hitches._

_“Morning Taehyung, it's a pleasure to meet you too, finally._

_Taehyung’s smile widens, and he looks at the slightly older wolf curiously._

_“So, what happens now?” Taehyung asks, he is not sure how he is managing this change so calmly, the younger man has never really been good with change._

_Last night when the younger wolf went to sleep, he was one hundred percent sure that he was not the chosen Omega, so the fact that he woke up to find that he was should have him freaking out. But Jimin’s scent smells like home to the younger man, and Jimin’s smile feels like the sun warming him up from the inside out. Taehyung does not feel anything close to fear or worry, what he feels running through his core is pure unadulterated joy. The young Omega is happy, deliriously, uncontrollably, a lifetime of all the ice cream you can eat, HAPPY._

_“Well, now Taehyung, we start our life together,” Jimin was unsure of how to answer Taehyung’s very blunt question at first, but he is pretty confident that ‘I am going to take you away from your family, and you’ll never see them again,' is the wrong answer._

_“Cool!” Taehyung says cheerily as he claps his hands and makes to get out of the bed. The younger man’s movement triggers the discovery that they are very, very naked for both men._

_Jimin would be embarrassed at their current lack of clothing if not for the fact that his eyes are glued to Taehyung, and his mind slowly takes in every line and curve of the man’s body and face. He observations were correct; Taehyung is beautiful. The Omega’s facial expression betrays what he is feeling, and right now Jimin can see happiness beaming from the man like a candied colored rainbow in the sky._

_The Omega’s wide eyes are covered by long lashes, and his brown orbs are soft and kind. Taehyung’s face is angled with a straight nose that leads to thin heart shaped lips, and Jimin recalls the way those lips felt against his skin during their very active first encounter. On impulse, the Alpha leans in and places a chaste kiss on Taehyung’s mouth, and Jimin is rewarded for his action when the Omega’s cheeks turn a rosy red, and the younger man lets out a hum of contentment against the Alpha’s lips._

_“I like kissing you a lot,” Taehyung says honestly, the younger man has never really had a brain to mouth filter._

_Jimin laughs, the Omega is adorable, “I like kissing you too Taehyung, very much.”_

_“Ooo, you need to meet Omma and Appa. My Omma told me that you were going to choose me, even when I thought she was wrong, but then you did, and she was right. She’s right a lot, though, like the time she told me it was a bad idea to warm up hard boiled eggs in the microwave and I had to wear a patch on my right eye for a week, but I pretended to be a pirate, so it wasn’t that bad. Then there was that time she told me not to cut my own hair, no amount of pretending made that mistake better, though. I—,” Taehyung suddenly stops talking, realizing that he’s rambling. Instead, the Omega grabs Jimin by the hand and is about to walk out the door but he stops and turns to face the Alpha with eyebrows scrunched together, “Maybe we should put on some clothes first.”_

_That’s it Jimin is completely and utterly in love, and it has nothing to do with Taehyung delicious orange spice scent and everything to do with the man himself, whose head is currently stuck in his closet, rummaging through its contents for something appropriate for them to wear. Jimin knows that life with Taehyung is never going to be dull or quiet, and yeah, he is so okay with that. The Alpha can’t help the smile that spreads across his face at realizing that Taehyung is his for life._

_Once dressed, the men make their way out of the bedroom. The hallway leading to the living room is lined with a photo journal of Taehyung’s journey from an adorable tiny baby to the sexy as hell grown-up that makes Jimin’s heart skip a beat everytime he looks at him. There are family pictures as well, Jimin can see how much the parents adore the young wolf, and again he feels happy about his decision to stay an extra day._

_The scent of blueberry muffins invades the young wolves’ senses, and Jimin hadn’t realized how famished he was until the aroma hits him._

_“Morning Omma,” Taehyung says as he walks into the kitchen with Jimin in tow._

_The shocked look on the woman’s face tells Jimin she was not expecting to see her son again, but she rebounds quickly and a warm smile spreads across her face._

_“Are you boys hungry?” She asks, kissing her son on the top of his head. Taehyung nuzzles closer to the woman, absorbing her warmth._

_“Mmm, starving,” the young wolf says, Taehyung moves his lips closer to the woman’s ear and whispers, “You were right Omma, he found me.” The woman nods and pats the boy on the shoulder._

_“Jimin, do you like eggs?” The woman asks, and Jimin likes her voice; it feels as earnest as her smile, and suddenly the Alpha misses his mother._

_“Yes Ma’am,” the Alpha answers shyly._

_“Call me Omma – I mean if you feel comfortable doing so, we are family now after all.” The woman says to Jimin._

_“O-okay, Om – Uhm, Omma,” Jimin can’t help the blush._

_“Hey, honey have you seen my reading_ glasse _\--,” Namjoon stops abruptly, “Taehyung-ah,” the father can’t hide the mixture of surprise and joy that colors his tone._

_“Appa,” The young wolf jumps on the tall blonde man, “This is Jimin, he’s my, I’m his, we’re—uhmm,” Taehyung turns to the young Alpha, “What are we again?”_

_At that, the kitchen erupts in laughter, and the young Omega stands with confusion writing on his face, not sure what's so funny._

_“We’re mated Taehyung,” Jimin says in between laughter as he steps forward to hold the Omega’s hand, sensing his confusion, “We are now life partners.”_

_Taehyung nods his head, and his lips form an “O.”_

_The Omega turns back to his father with a twinkle in his eye, “He’s my life-partner, he’s cute, right?”_

_“Yes Taehyung, he is very cute,” Namjoon laughs at his son’s antics, “It is very nice to meet you Jimin. How was the journey for your hunt?” The man asks._

_“It was good sir, although there was a moment when I thought I had lost the scent at the clearing past the woods. There were so many different fragrances competing with Tae’s.” Jimin is not sure why he is so open with the man, but the Omega’s family feels like his own, as though Jimin didn’t just bond with Taehyung alone, but the entire family._

_“Ah yes, the scent heighteners can cause a lot of confusion, but you really can’t blame the Omegas for trying, a Clan member did scent outside of The Clan,” The older Alpha states, “So when are you planning on leaving?”_

_“Leaving? Why would we be leaving?” Taehyung turns to his dad as he grabs a strip of bacon from the tray his mother is dropping the crispy pieces in, “Ouch,” Taehyung yelps as his mother smacks his hand._

_Jimin gulps, about to answer the one question he was hoping to put off at least till after breakfast. He breathes a sigh of relief when the smack from his mother finds Taehyung completely distracted from his previous question._

_“Omma, why?”_

_“You know the rules, lawbreaker will be punished,” the woman laughs at the Omega’s pout._

_Breakfast is delicious, and the day is fun and relaxing as Taehyung’s mother and father regale Jimin with stories of Taehyung’s adventurous youth. Morning turns to afternoon and then to evening, and before Jimin knows what has happened it is night-time, and he is once again in the Omega’s bed with his arms full of a sleeping, snuggly Taehyung._

_The second day comes and goes in pretty much the same way. Jimin knows he needs to tell Taehyung that they have to leave, but a part of him understands why the younger man would be hesitant to go. This family was special, and in the short time he had spent with them, they had taught Jimin that there is indeed_ a world _outside of The Clan, where families and people are equally as strong, and equally as supportive._

_On the morning of the third day, Namjoon pulls Jimin aside, "For an Alpha to Alpha talk,” he answers when Taehyung questions him._

_They walk quietly for about ten minutes before the older Alpha breaks the silence._

_“You need to tell him, you know, that you have to leave,” Namjoon says directly, and Jimin understands where Taehyung gets his bluntness from._

_“I know,” the smaller Alpha states, “But I don’t know how. I can feel it, how attached he is to you and Omma. I don’t think I can take him away like that. I don’t want to hurt him.” Jimin feels overwhelmed._

_“I appreciate that you’re putting Taehyung’s feelings first, that means a lot to me as his father. It tells me that you scented_ right, _and that you’ll be good to him. But part of being an Alpha Jimin, is being able to tell your Omega things that they need to hear, even if they don’t want to hear it. The Clan is your home, and your home is Taehyung’s home now, that’s how claiming works. You need to go back, and Taehyung needs to go with you,” Namjoon’s voice is stern, but gentle, "Yes, Taehyung is attached to us, but he loves you. I can see it in his eyes and hear it in his voice when he talks about you. He’ll be upset at first, but he will understand. You need to tell him, and as much as I don’t want either of you to leave, you need to go home.”_

_The older Alpha was right, Taehyung did understand, but telling the younger man that he had to leave his family was still the hardest thing Jimin has ever had to do. The tears were plentiful, but the woman and her husband are thankful that they are able to say proper goodbyes._

_“Appa,” Taehyung is having a hard time seeing through his tears, “I am going to miss you so much. I know I don’t say this enough, and now that I am leaving, I wish I had said it more. I love you so much, and I am so happy that you’re my dad. Thank you for protecting me, wiping my tears, and for always giving me good advice and knowing the best places to hide from mom.” He hugs the Alpha tight, not wanting to let go in fear that this will be last time he will see the man he calls his father._

_The woman peppers her son’s face with kisses, knowing that she may never have this opportunity again, “I will miss you so much Taehyung, but I'm so happy that you have found your perfect match. I pray that you will be as happy together as your father and I have been,” the woman reaches out and takes one of Jimin’s hands and pulls the young Alpha closer, “Take care of each other, and love each other with all your heart. Difficult times will come, it is part of life, but you will overcome, and grow stronger if you face it together. Jimin, thank you for loving my son, and for finding him and completing him. I pray your journey home is safe.” The woman kisses each man on the cheek and gives her son one last tight hug before allowing them to leave._

 

They are on the outskirts of Jimin’s homeland when the Alpha begins to slow down, gradually coming to a complete stop. Jimin turns to Taehyung, their bond has grown a lot stronger since the claiming, and he can sense the younger man’s trepidation. The dark-furred wolf strides towards the younger wolf, nuzzling his nose against the Omega’s ear, licking at the red-brown fur. He can feel Taehyung begin to relax into his touch, and he begins to speak to the younger man through the bond.

 

**_It’s okay Taehyung; they’ll love you as much as I do._ **

****

**_Are you sure? I’m a little strange._ **

****

**_Not strange Tae, special, very special in the most amazing ways._ **

****

Taehyung wishes they were in human form because he really wants to kiss Jimin right now.

 

_**Don’t worry, we’ll be home soon you can kiss me all you want then.** _

__

_**Not fair, you're not supposed to read my thoughts.** _

__

_**We’re one now Taehyung. When you feel something, I will feel it too. I'm not able to read your thoughts, but I can sense your emotions, and as we grow stronger in our bond, you will be able to do the same with me. I know you’re worried and that this is a new environment for you, but you don’t have to worry. I will always protect you, always**_.

 

Taehyung takes a deep breath and nuzzles his nose into the Alpha’s soft fur.

 

**_Okay. I’m ready. Let’s go home Alpha._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys so I will updating, this story, but slowly and not as regularly as I did before. Hope you guys enjoy, I am taking off the complete for the story. As always let me know what you think.  
> Happy Reading  
> Lulu


	5. The Homecoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jin feels very connected to Taehyung and The Clan leader is worried about what their odd link means.

Taehyung does not blend in, he never has. It’s not for lack of trying on the young man’s part; it’s just that, well, he’s constructed in a way that's a little different than most. At least that what his mother tells him. The young wolf’s introduction to The Clan goes smoothly enough, but the sandy-haired wolf still feels out of place, like a puzzle piece in the wrong box, shaped liked all the other pieces but having no place it fits.

 

“Whatcha thinking about?” Jimin’s voice draws the man from his thoughts.

 

“Nothing really,” Tadehyung keeps his eyes down, not wanting to look Jimin in the eyes because it’s eerie how the older man can read his emotions.

 

“Tae, you know I can feel what you feel, right?” Jimin says, and Taehyung looks up, he doesn’t think he’ll ever get used to their kinetic link.

 

The young wolf sighs, he can’t tell Jimin that he feels weird with his people, especially when everyone has been so nice. The thing is that if Jimin’s family were just regular members of the group, maybe Taehyung wouldn’t feel as stressed as he does, and he wouldn't try to not be his 'usual' self. But Jimin’s family is second in command, and Jimin is the commander of The Clan army. Taehyung does not know how he’ll ever measure up to that.

 

Jimin is about to open his mouth when a knock on the door distracts him.

 

“Sorry to interrupt,” Jin’s voice melodic voice can be heard. Taehyung doesn’t know why but apart from Jimin, the older man is the only one that brings him peace, “I'm not sure how, but...” Jin looks nervous.

 

“What’s wrong hyung?” Jimin asks concerned.

 

“I-I can sense it...” Jin looks directly in Taehyung direction, “W-what he’s feeling.” The older man points his finger in Taehyung’s direction.

 

The youngest in the room sits frozen. In fact, Jin’s abrupt words have everyone including Jin himself feeling a little baffled. The only people that can sense emotions are Clan parents and bonded mates. How is Jin able to feel Taehyung’s emotions?

 

As if he's answering the unasked question, Jin responds, “I don’t know how, and right now, I don’t think it’s as important as getting Taehyung to feel more at ease with his new surroundings, don’t you agree?” Jin turns to Jimin with the question.

 

“Y-yes, of course, hyung,” Jimin answers, tripping over his words.

 

The older man can’t explain it, but the arrival of the young wolf has had a toll on him, he feels like it has sort of changed him; despite his normally quiet and reserved self, he feels more emotional now. From the first day that Jimin arrived home and announced the young man as his life-partner, Jin has felt an ever growing warmth towards Taehyung.

 

The feelings are not sexual or sensual in nature, no, Jungkook alone holds that position in Jin’s heart. However, the need to protect and take care of the young man is very real, and the fact that he can feel the young wolf’s emotions tells the eldest they are connected somehow, yet the man has no idea how.

 

“Taehyung, let's go for a walk, huh?” The older man asks, but it is not really a question.

 

Taehyung glances at Jimin, not quite sure what the right answer is. He wants to say yes because Jin feels like the solution to his problems, but the man’s abrupt announcement has the sandy-haired man feeling conflicted.

 

“It’s okay Tae, Jin hyung is the best at advice, and I know you can’t tell me about what’s bothering you, at least not yet. Maybe hyung is just who you need to talk to, maybe that’s why he can sense your feelings.” Jimin’s voice is sincere, and holds no hint of jealousy or worry. Taehyung relaxes, and nods his head in agreement with Jin’s request.

 

Jin doesn’t realize he's holding his breath until he releases it after Taehyung replies. The older gives the younger a reassuring smile, knowing that his presence has Taehyung a little muddled, but Jin feels it’s only fair since the young man has had him in a complete state of disarray since arriving some four weeks ago. Jin smiles again as the young man gets up and walks towards him, a memory from Taehyung’s first week jumping to the forefront of his mind as the young wolf slowly saunters towards him.

 

_It’s late at night and Jin has gone for a run, the Clan leader needs to clear his mind. Lately, he’s been feeling off-kilter, like his world has been knocked off its axis by an invisible force that wants to turn him into an emotional basket case. Night-time runs are the best for wiping away mind fog, and the crisp air is invigorating enough for Jin to feel his normal temperament slowly come back to him._

_The Alpha comes to a halt when he picks up the faint sounds of talking. The red-furred wolf slows to a trot and quietly makes his way towards the direction of the noise._

_The Clan leader is completely at a loss about what to do next when he realizes that the sounds are not of people talking, but of one person talking as though he were two. As Jin gets closer to the unknown individual, he is suddenly hit with a warmth that floods his bowels like the noon sun heating up the ocean. The older wolf has a visceral need to protect the strange young man, who seems to be having a very heated conversation with a rock about the need for one hundred-foot_ limousines _in rap videos. Apparently the rock disagrees as, the man, who Jin finally recognizes as Taehyung, is now telling the rock all the reasons why the enormous vehicle would not be the same as driving a house._

_Jin stays hidden, a smile on his face as he enjoys the back and forth dialogue which is complete with voice alterations. The older wolf likes Taehyung, although he has barely spoken a word to the younger man since his introduction to The Clan. Jimin’s mate is a breath of fresh air, like rain falling on a sweltering summer day, or a long run on a cool night._

_The leader has felt a strange connection to Taehyung from the moment he laid eyes on the younger wolf, a connection that he doesn’t understand._

_The nature of their link is odd because at times the older man swears he can sense the younger’s thoughts and emotions much like he senses his mate’s, but not in the same way. His bond with Jungkook is more of a sensation where he can sense the other man’s feelings, but with Taehyung, it’s almost tangible, as though Jin is sharing Taehyung’s emotional states and feeling them himself. It is the reason the man had to run tonight; he knows Taehyung is worried about his place in The Clan, just like he knows that the younger man is scared that Jimin made the wrong choice._

_Right now, it is taking all of Jin’s self-control to not emerge from his hidden spot and comfort the younger man. He forces himself to stay still because he knows it’s not his place to do so. He has considered telling Jimin but hasn’t done so because he’s not sure how’d_ he’d _explain his acquisition of such knowledge. So for now, he just stands there silently, watching the man who seems more like a child as he continues his diatribe._

_The Alpha hasn’t shared his current state with anyone, not even Jungkook, although, he is sure the younger Omega senses it. Jin knows he needs to speak to someone; he needs to make sure he is not imaging his current predicament. He is worried about what these feelings mean, and how they will affect his ability to lead his pack._

_The wolf moves from his hiding place and casts one last look at the young man. His heart aches because he knows Taehyung is lonely, which may also explain why the young wolf is sitting alone in the woods at night and having a conversation with an inanimate object. Jin sighs and makes a mental note to speak with Yoongi. If anyone can help or even provide an answer to Jin’s question, the red furred wolf knows it’s Min Yoongi._

Jin had spoken to Yoongi that very same night, which is why he and a very nervous Taehyung are currently walking to the same spot he had discovered the younger man several weeks ago. Jin is fighting a very pressing need to pull the troubled man into his arms, if only to calm his fears, but the elder is positive that the action will only lead to more anxiety on the part of the smaller wolf.

 

“Hyung,” Taehyung’s head is down, looking everywhere but Jin’s eyes, “How’re you able to do that, know what I feel? Is that a Clan thing, c-can other people, besides Jimin, read my thoughts too?” Jin can feel the younger man’s mixture of curiosity, sadness, and worry as though it were his own.

 

“No, others are not able to read your thoughts Taehyung-ssi. Honestly, I am not sure how I am able to do it; maybe it is a Clan leader thing. However, you’re the only person apart from my mate that I am able to sense,” Jin answers the question frankly.

 

Jin smiles when Taehyung’s lips form an “O”, but the younger man still doesn’t make eye contact.

 

“W-why did you want to talk to me?”

 

“I will answer that question when you look at me,” Jin states.

 

Taehyung is shocked by the man’s response, but he lifts his head as requested, and he is met by dark brown orbs that are swimming with compassion. Taehyung feels a sense of peace run through his core; he experiences this calm whenever the older wolf is present. It is the same sense of security that Taehyung feels around his mom, dad, and Jimin, he is confused as to why this is happening with a complete stranger.

 

“I wanted to talk with you to let you know something, which is -- you do belong here, with us. I can feel you struggling and trying to fit in, trying to change who you are. But you don’t need to do that, because who you are is perfect. I’ve never seen Jimin or his family as happy as they are now, and I know that you have a lot to do with that. Yes, our ways are different from what you’re used to, but Taehyung, Jimin scented on you because you’re what he needs, and he’s a part of The Clan, so we need you too. The real you, the man who has midnight conversations with rocks and spends his free time brightening up the days a very sick four-year-old,” Jin smiles as Taehyung’s eyes grow saucer wide.

 

“How’d you know all that?”

 

“I’m the clan leader Taehyung, it’s my job to know,” Jin replies with no judgment in his voice.

 

You don’t think I am weird?” Taehyung is truly shocked.

 

“No, well, yes, but I still want you to be yourself. Plus I quite enjoyed your hundred-foot limo conversation. Who won, by the way, you or the rock?” Jin chuckles a bit as Taehyung turns beet red.

 

“Me of course, the rock didn’t have a leg to stand on,” Taehyung answers even though he’s embarrassed at being caught.

 

The younger can feel the stress and fear drain from his body at Jin’s words, and Jin’s warmth. The Clan leader accepts him for who he was, which means The Clan did as well.

 

The young wolf’s lack of a brain to mouth filter once again comes into play when he turns to the older wolf.

 

“C-can I hug you—oh wow, that was awkward,” Taehyung’s cheeks grow redder, “It’s just that this reminds me of conversations with my dad, and we normally hug after, but you’re not, I mean I’m not…” Taehyung stops talking, deciding that uncomfortable silence is better that unintelligible chatter.

 

Jin laughs out loud and the noise is hearty and from the gut. The sound reverbs through Taehyung’s being like ice cream traveling down one’s throat, soft and sweet. But when Jin opens his arms and engulfs Taehyung in a warm firm embrace, the younger man feels the safest he’s ever felt with another person (apart from Jimin and his dad, of course) and a realization hits the young wolf.

 

_I’m home._

 

However, the young wolf doesn't realize how correct his last thought is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story really is a departure from my previous writing style, which could explain why I enjoy writing it so much. I really want to know what you think, so let converse tell me your thoughts about the story, and your theories about Jin and Taehyung. Or even what you think will happen next.
> 
> Happy Reading
> 
> Lulu


	6. The Threat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jimin hasn't learned to say no to Taehyung, but he's not complaining either.  
> A man is living a lie, and a woman without a past is being held captive. Each with a secret to who Taehyung really is.

Somewhere in Seoul, a man and his wife are getting ready. The man is hiding a past that haunts him every day, but his wife makes him feel whole and cared for, so he'll continue the lie.

 

“Are you ready to go?” She smiles as she leans in for a kiss.

 

He loves her in a way he can never explain. Why? Because she saved him, and kept him from becoming a monster on that fateful night in the pouring rain. She found him and rescued him by simply extending her hand to a stranger, and smiling a smile so brilliant it made the darkness in his heart run away in fear.

 

She’ll never know what she’s done because he’ll never tell. He’ll pretend that person never existed. He’ll live his life with her here, happy and free, praying that they never find him, and praying even harder that she never learns the truth.

 

“Mmm, yeah, let’s go.” The man runs one of his hands through his blonde hair, and used the other to grab her hand and together they head out the door.

 

But they know where he is; and they've always known.

 

*******************

 

Taehyung has been feeling restless recently, like something is crawling under his skin. It's like having an itch that you couldn't scratch, and usually only his Alpha's touch made him feel better. That is exactly why he wakes Jimin up at ridiculously-early-o'clock in the morning, and lures him out of their home.

 

“Taehyung-ah, where are you taking me?” Jimin asks as he’s being dragged through the forest in the middle of the night, after the younger man tells him he wants to show him something.

 

Jimin should’ve said no, he’s bone tired from running drills, with the pack. An old danger is knocking at The Clan’s door, threatening their peace and serenity. The pack army has been on high alert for the last week, and the captain of the military knows that he and Taehyung shouldn’t be out here. But Jimin hasn’t mastered the art of saying no to Taehyung yet, the younger man has the most persuasive puppy dog eyes ever and with a pout of the lip and bat of the eye, Taehyung wins every single time.

 

“We’re almost there,” Taehyung says, slightly out of breath due to the cool air that's making breathing somewhat difficult.

 

Jin had taken Taehyung to the location he is currently lugging Jimin to, for one of their “talks.” It’s what Jimin calls Taehyung and Jin’s alone time, which has become a stable between the two men. Taehyung can’t explain it, but he’s become very attached to the older wolf. The man feels pleasantly comfortable to the younger, like soft fluffy slippers and warm cookies straight out of the oven.

 

Their “talks” have helped Taehyung find his place in The Clan. Although some of them still find him a bit strange and he still encounters questioning eyes from others when he has one of his “squirrel moments” (it’s what Jungkook has named Taehyung's very short and easily distracted attention span), Taehyung still feels very at home among these people.

 

Suddenly, Taehyung stops and turns to face his love, leaning in and kissing Jimin directly on the lips. The older is thrown off kilter, it’s one of many side effects that Taehyung has on the slightly older wolf. Their lips are still touching, and Jimin can feel Taehyung smile against him.

 

“Yah, why are you laughing?” Jimin fakes anger.

 

“I like kissing you is all,” Taehyun answers.

 

Jimin is about to reply when Taehyung shuts him up by kissing him for real. Jimin has kissed Taehyung a lot since mating the man, but the older man still can’t quite get used to how soft Taehyung’s lips are, and how sweet the younger male tastes. It reminds Jimin of cotton candy and leaves him feeling fluffy and sugary, as if he can't get enough.

 

Their teeth clash and the kiss slowly moves from soft and chaste to heated and needy. Another side effect of Taehyung is his ability to melt Jimin’s self-control, disintegrating it like plastic over an open flame. The fluid movement of their mouths has the wolf in Jimin growing hungrier and hungrier. With each whisk of Taehyung’s tongue against his own and each suck of his bottom lip between Taehyung’s lips, Jimin can feel heat curling in his core and wrapping itself around his spine, pulling him down into an abyss of need and desire.

 

The older wolf’s finger grips at the hem of Taehyung’s loose fitting t-shirt, pushing it up slightly as he presses his fingers into Taehyung’s warm flesh. It burns, but in a good way, and Taehyung groans, into Jimin’s mouth. The impact of Jimin’s cold fingers on his heated skin has Taehyung shuddering, and he wants to stop what’s happening, because this is not the plan. Okay, no, this is the plan, but this is most definitely not the location.

 

“Hyung, ahhh-,” Taehyung almost concedes defeat when Jimin’s teeth glazed over his, “I-give-in” spot (as Jimin has fondly named the area where his neck and his ear meet), “Hyung, not, ahh – oh, that feels – no, hyung, stop!” Taehyung says as he gently shoves the older man away.

 

Jimin is momentarily stunned by his spouse’s actions, “Why?” He asks, too dumbfounded to add the actual fuck part.

 

“Not here hyung, this is not the spot,” Taehyung places a chaste kiss on the man’s forehead, “When we get there, you’ll understand why this is not the spot.

 

With those words, Taehyung once again begins his march forward with Jimin in tow. Several minutes and one very disgruntled Alpha later, they reach their destination.

 

Jimin’s breath hitches at the sight before him. They are standing on the edge of a cliff with water below them, and he can see the water only because of the way the moon’s light illuminates the river beneath them. In fact, the rays the moon casts makes everything around Jimin look mystical, like he’s standing in a dream while being fully awake. And Taehyung is right, this is the spot.

 

If Jimin thinks the moonlight makes his surroundings beautiful, then the man can honestly say it makes Taehyung absolutely stunning. The beams play up the angles and lines on Taehyung’s face dreamily, making the younger man’s skin look flawless. His eyes seem as though they are lit from within and Jimin desperately wants to touch. The Alpha takes a step forward, and Taehyung doesn’t move, instead waiting patiently and watching in fascination as Jimin’s hand slowly reaches toward him.

 

There are three things about Jimin, that spin Taehyung’s world out of control. 1) Jimin’s smile, which is like an umbrella in the rain covering Taehyung from harm, 2) Jimin’s voice, which Taehyung believes is the most beautiful sound in the world, especially when Jimin is using it to scream Taehyung’s name as their bodies rock with pleasure; and 3) Jimin’s touch, which sets Taehyung aflame, with the slightest contact feeling like tiny fires being lit on his skin. So when Jimin’s fingers start to trace the outline of his face, Taehyung’s world spins faster, threatening to fly off its axis.

 

The younger man closes the distance between them and connects their lips. As they sink to the ground, unable to hold back any longer, Jimin has a slight sense that they should leave and go home to finish this party there. But the moonlight is alluring, and Taehyung is warm, ready, and drenched in the stench of desire, and Jimin thinks he will probably never learn to not give in to the younger man. The elder loses his last bit of resolve when Taehyung’s back finally hits the grass, and he lands flush against the younger. The last thing he hears before his mind goes numb is the Omega's velvety voice whisper, “Make me yours Alpha, again and again...”

 

 

As the two men lose themselves in the throngs of pleasure, a woman with no memory of her past is awakened by a dream. She's been a captive for so long now, it feels like it's all she's knows. It's been a while since she's been getting glimpses, fragments really, that prove that there's more to her than she knows. The dreams give her hope and fill her with strength, and little by little, she feels something that she had lost returning to her -- her will.

 

She screams in her sleep, the dreams are more frequent now. He’s in danger and she needs to warn him, to warn them. She cries because she doesn’t know who he is, the face that is always floating before her eyes. He feels familiar, like a dream where she can recall bits and pieces, but she can’t ever remember the entire story.

 

He’s connected to her, that much she knows, just like she knows he is real and not a figment of her imagination. And they’re in danger, but he, the boy with box-shaped, sunshine smile, he’s their hope. She needs to find him and tell him.

 

The dream subsides and she falls back into slumber. The drugs keep her dazed and she’s tried to fight the effects, but she can’t; at least not yet. But she feels it, her strength coming back, her will regaining its power. She will beat them, she will escape, she will find him and warn him. As sleep takes over, a stray tear runs down her face.

 

“I need to tell him, show him who he really is,” she whispers in her dreams.

 

And she hopes, no, she prays, that they can’t hear her, that they aren't listening.

 

But they are listening; and they always are…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so here’s some info, the woman at the beginning and end aren’t the same person. I wasn’t sure if that was clear. But both people the man and the woman are related to Taehyung, who is more special than anyone realizes. Hint :D.
> 
> The dialogue box is open (this is another hint to comment), tell me your thoughts and as always kudos, and comment A LOT if you like the story. Also, Christmas is coming so feel free to send presents too… Kookies make a great gift ;).
> 
> Also, this story is now on a three-week schedule and will be updated on Saturdays.
> 
> Happy Reading
> 
> Lulu


	7. The Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taehyung has been having dreams.  
> And THEY are watching and waiting.  
> Who are "they"?
> 
> Hey, everyone I wanted to say thank you for taking the time to read and comment. I am very humbled and grateful. I hope you continue to enjoy the story. This is an early update because I will be busy on Friday.

“They’re coming, they’re coming!” Taehyung’s voice jolts Jimin from his slumber.

 

“Tae, wake up.” The dark-haired Alpha shakes his spouse slightly.

 

Taehyung wakes up in a cold sweat, panting and eyes glazed over as though he's in a trance. The dreams have been quite steady in their arrival, each one more vivid than the last. However, tonight is the first time that Jimin has heard the man speak, and he wonders who “they” are.

 

Taehyung’s heart sounds to him like thunder rolling in his chest, and the young wolf is having a hard time catching his breath. And while he knows it was _just a dream_ , and that it’s not true, it felt so tangible like he actually was in the thick of a war that was raging and all he had to do was reach out and he’d be able to touch his surroundings. Even now, the Omega can feel the fear, the same fear he felt as he watched the darkness consume everything he loves, an invisible anchor weighing him down as the blackness takes over.

 

“Is it another dream?” Jimin asks as he draws the younger man into his arms, rubbing gentle circles into his back.

 

“Mmm.” Taehyung can’t speak - he feels overwhelmed and frightened. His body is trembling and he sinks in, seeking comfort as Jimin draws him closer.

 

“Shh, shh, it’s just a dream okay,” Jimin states as he tries to calm his spouse down. He can feel Taehyung’s heartbeat pulsing against his own chest like the constant tick of a clock.

 

“It feels so real Jimin, so real, not like a dream at all. And it swallows everything in its path and all that’s left is – blackness. Also, the voice, the woman, she keeps telling me I can stop it – that I can stop them. She says I’m the only one that can.” Taehyung’s voice is frantic, and hot tears are stinging his eyes because if it’s not a dream and he really is their only hope, he’s not sure how they will survive.

 

“Tae,” Jimin says a he kisses the Omega’s exposed neck, “it's okay, I promise it is just a dream. Plus even if it were true, I’d be here, and The Clan would be here to fight with you. Okay?”

 

Taehyung nods his head. It was just a dream and Jimin is here, holding him in the safety of his arms.

 

“Sorry for waking you up,” Taehyung whispers into his husband’s neck.

 

“It’s okay, I don’t mind, I get to snuggle with you early in the morning anyway,” Jimin says, making an effort to lighten the mood.

 

“Mmm, snuggling is nice,” Taehyung says drowsily. The dreams make his sleep fitful and unrestful, but Jimin is warm and comfortable, and the Omega can feel his eyelids growing heavy.

 

Jimin chuckles when Taehyung yawns against his skin; it tickles and causes a shiver of delight to run through his body. The Alpha is always amazed at the way his body reacts to the younger man, as even the most innocent actions can leave him breathless and wanting. Like right now with Taehyung snuggled against him, all he wants to do is touch, which seems wholly inappropriate given the current circumstances.

 

Jimin doesn’t give into the desire. Instead, he scoots his body down till he is lying on his back, and an already-sleeping Taehyung is stretched out almost completely on top of him. Jimin stays awake for a while, listening to the rhythmic sounds of Taehyung’s breathing and letting the Omega’s sweet orange spice scent infiltrate all his senses. Taehyung’s aroma is strongest during sleep and sex, the latter being Jimin favorite way to smell the man.

 

_Gosh Jimin, you’re such a hound dog._

The Alpha smiles because he’d never really thought about sex much till he mated with the Omega, and now it feels like it’s all he thinks about. He quickly pushes the stray thoughts from his mind and chooses to focus on the issues at hand – Taehyung’s dreams. Jimin makes a mental note to bring it up with The Clan doctor, Hoseok, and Jin as well. The dreams seem to be coming more and more frequently, and it takes longer and longer to calm the Omega down each time. Jimin wonders if it’s just dreams, or if it’s something more.

 

Maybe Taehyung misses his family. The Alpha thinks that perhaps they should go visit the younger man’s parents. It’s been almost six months since the younger man said goodbye, and Jimin wonders if seeing them will help. Taehyung’s warmth is drawing the Alpha in, and he can feel himself slipping into unconsciousness. As his eyes begin to close, Jimin makes another mental note to ask Jin whether it would be okay to take Taehyung to see his family for a bit.

 

****

 

They’ve been waiting for this moment, the moment when he’d finally awaken. They’ll have to hold on a bit longer for him to be fully awake, for him to realize who he is, or more precisely who he was. But they have waited this long, patient for millenniums as they waited for the three to figure out who they are and find each other. They have kept her sedated, but they can feel her power growing. They know that she might regain it all, but they are not fearful; their power has grown too, and this time, there will be no escape.

 

****

 

She knows he’s been dreaming, she can feel it. She greatly worries for him and his safety. _Are you being loved, are you being taken care of? Do you know who you are, have you figured it out yet?_ She asks these questions every day but still hasn't gotten any response, which means he isn’t fully conscious and they’re not connected yet. It will come, she knows it will, she can feel her strength growing. A small smile plays across her chapped lips -- she knows they’re listening, she can feel them too.

 

_Now matter how powerful you think you’ve gotten, they’ll always be stronger, the three of them together. You won’t win, but this time, when we battle -- you also won’t survive._

 

The machine beeps as a higher dose of the drug enters her system. She falls into slumber, but she can feel it – now they’re scared.

 

****

 

The man wakes up in a cold sweat (at the same time as Taehyung).

 

_He’s waking up!_

 

He almost said the words out loud and nearly woke up his wife. He smiles at the realization. Soon they’ll be three again, soon they’ll be whole and maybe, just maybe, they can put an end to all this. Maybe this time, all three of them will get their happy ending.

 

The man had been the first to come to consciousness, and he remembers most things, but not everything; he needs the other two. He knows he's the protector of the younger ones. He’s kept one safe (albeit secretly) for a while, but he doesn’t know where the other one is. However, he knows the other is alive; he can feel the man’s life force pulse through him. He smiles, because once the youngest fully awakens, all will be revealed, and they will each know their place – each of them will remember, and they will fight and win.

 

The man throws his arms around his wife and pulls her close. She’s his reason for fighting, she and the others, his family. His brothers. As his eyes close and he drifts back into sleep, he too smiles because he can feel it as well - they’re scared.

 

_Good. You should be._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I can't wait for the theories. Yes, I'm a little evil. LOL. But the comments are so awesome because it means that you're all invested and that means so much to me. So let me know what you think. As always upvote, comment, then comment some more, or send me Jimin wrapped in Christmas paper with a bow on top.


	8. The Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taehyung and Jimin head to Taehyung's home.  
> Jin has a strange dream that scares Jungkook.  
> Namjoon realizes that children grow up (poor appa Namjoon).

The woman wakes up shaking. The effects of the drugs are lessening and she feels it, she feels her power returning, she feels strength seeping through every fiber of her being and filling the gaping holes that they had created. For brief moments she had been strong enough to block them, stop them from reading her thoughts and using her as a means to get to them – to him; The Light.

 

The Three have existed throughout time, taking on different shapes and different forms from generation to generation, they are The Originals, the True Wolves. The Three have fought to keep their people safe from the darkness that threatens to swallow them whole. In each segment of time that they inhabit, The Three have taken on different personas, various features in each awakening of their souls to remembrance. But in every occurrence, The Light has always been the youngest, he has always been the last one to awaken – because he is the one who dispels the darkness.

 

In her strongest moments, when she can block their hold, she summons The Three and calls out to them.

 

“Can you hear me?”

 

“It’s time to wake up, time to remember; they're coming.”

 

She can feel them stirring, she can feel the responses of The Triad - Love, Strength, and Light. She is their guardian, the protector of their souls. She is the one that puts them to sleep, and allows them to rest so that they can replenish their strength -- She is the one that rouses them awake when it is time to fight.

 

The war has started to rage once again, but this time, she has been foolish, she has allowed herself to be captured; and by doing so, she has put them in grave danger. Thus, she kept them asleep longer, for waking them earlier would have been much too dangerous.

 

She hears the machine beep, the signal is enough to let her know that the medication is coming and the dosage will be higher this time, soon she will be knocked out. 'They' have tried, but 'They' can’t hurt her because 'They' have yet to figure out how. She is stronger than them, even in this weakened state, and 'They' know it.

 

She makes one last attempt.

 

“WAKE UP!” her mind yells out loudly just before the darkness takes her once again.

 

Soon enough this will have no effect, she warns 'them,' she tells them that she is getting stronger.

 

But she isn’t strong enough yet.

 

******

 

Taehyung stops running.

 

 _Did you hear that?_ He turns to Jimin.

 

 _Hear what?_ The Alpha responds his gaze quizzical.

 

_The voice?_

 

Taehyung knows he sounds crazy, but he's sure that he heard it - he's sure that he heard the voice of the woman from his dreams.

 

Jimin stands silent and listens. He knows that Taehyung honestly believes he’s heard something, and while the younger wolf may be given to theatrics, he never exaggerates the truth. The Alpha loves that about the younger man, he loves the fact that Taehyung has an aura of innocence and honesty that floats about him like a halo. It wraps itself around the Omega like sunshine or spun gold, and Jimin often wonders if Taehyung is real, or if he's some mystical creature that he has been blessed to find.

 

 _I don’t hear anything_ , Jimin replies as he struts over to his mate, nuzzling their noses together.

 

Taehyung doesn’t respond, except to lick at Jimin’s fur. He loves the Alpha so much. Jimin makes him feel safe and loved...but despite that, Taehyung can’t shake off the sensation that he has forgotten something, something important, something that the voice wants him to remember…

 

_But what?_

 

Jimin nudges Taehyung forward, We’re almost there, almost at your parents home.

 

The Alpha starts running once again and Taehyung follows.

 

Maybe he’ll feel calmer once they arrive. Maybe it’s the stress of a new environment that has him feeling this way. Whatever the reason is, Taehyung knows that home is where they need to be.

 

His home. He needs to talk to his dad.

 

 

******

 

The man wakes up with a start. He’s sweating, despite the cool breeze from the windows.

 

She’s calling.

 

He can hear her faintly. He feels her power growing, and it’s illuminating his heart, slowly flooding him with strength. Portions of his real-self are gradually coming back to him, and he smiles, remembering the others more clearly now. Soon, he won’t be the only one awake. Soon, Love and Light will awaken too, and The Triad will be complete, the three will unite as one. Soon, they will win this war for good, because this is their last chance. They have fought this war many times, and over many life spans, but this time, they all have too much to lose this time. This time, they will delete the darkness for good.

 

_They have to._

 

He pulls his wife close, and he hears her sigh in her sleep as she sinks into his chest. He fondly kisses the top of her head. He loves her, in all the lifetimes that he has existed, she is his first true love. He's not willing to lose her, not willing to be forced into slumber leaving her to fend for herself as the darkness consumes her. So again, he reminds himself that this time they must win.

 

_They have to._

 

_There’s too much to lose._

 

 

******

 

Jin's sleep is restless, and it feels like he’s being summoned, like he's being pulled by an invisible force. The force seems familiar to the Alpha, similar to the touch of a warm hand on your skin or the way water feels as it runs down your back. The force awakens those same sensations in the Alpha, only, Jin doesn’t know why. He tosses and turns, his entire being pushing him to remember, but he’s failing miserably.

 

“Hyung,” Jungkook’s voice is soft and Jin feels the Omega shaking him slightly, "Are you okay?”

 

Jin wants to answer but he can’t - it’s as though the invisible force is holding him down, willing him to remember, to wake up.

 

_Can you hear me?_

 

The voice asks, and Jin’s heart beats faster in near panic, when he realizes the voice isn’t Jungkook’s.

 

“Hyung, wake up!” Jungkook exclaims as he shakes the older man hard.

 

The young Omega is frantic. The Alpha is lying almost catatonic and Jin’s body is jerking, the elder wolf is reaching out as though trying to touch something, but there is nothing there. Jungkook has never seen his mate like this and he’s not sure what to do or how to help.

 

“Hyung please, please wake up,” Jungkook is close to tears as he lays his head on Jin’s chest to still him, throwing his arm over the man’s stomach in hopes that his warmth will pull the Alpha out of whatever is happening.

 

_And it does._

 

Moments later, Jin’s breathing returns to normal and the rise and fall of his chest tells Jungkook that the man has fallen back into his right sleeping pattern. For a brief moment, the young Omega contemplates waking the older wolf, but he opts to let the man sleep. However, this time, there is no space between them because Jungkook has tightened his hold on the Alpha and is snuggled impossibly close to the elder’s chest. If Jin has another attack, Jungkook will be right there to walk him through it.

 

Jungkook leans his head upwards and kisses Jin on the bottom of his chin, “I love you so much,” the younger says as his eyes begin to droop; his fears are subsiding and calm has returned to their bedroom and their slumber.

 

As sleep pulls Jungkook under, Jin speaks in his sleep, and the words would have reawakened Jungkook’s worries had he not been utterly unconscious.

 

“They’re coming – they’re coming. We need to rise, we need to be ready. They cannot win – not again.”

 

******

 

The three are becoming stronger, The Darkness can sense it. However, they have defeated them in every war that has been fought, and this time will be no different; except for one thing. This time, The Darkness plans on consuming them as well, Love, Strength, and Light. There will be no sleep, no time to rejuvenate. They will end the Triad…they will cover the earth -- the world in blackness. They will rule once and for all.

 

*****

 

They make it to Taehyung’s home safely and just before three in the morning, according to the clock on Taehyung nightstand. It’s weird being back in the room for both of them. For Taehyung, the room feels different, no longer is it his fortress of protection – the place where he slept from infancy to adulthood, the place where he played games with friends and hid from his mom, and had long talks with his dad.

 

Now, the room feels like a memory because he has found a new fortress, a new home with Jimin and The Clan. Taehyung smiles to himself. When he was younger, he had vowed never to leave this house, he had told his parents that he’d never leave _“no matter what.”_ But love and Jimin changed that, and despite the strange dreams and the voice he’s been hearing, Taehyung still feels safe and protected when he's with his Alpha, and he knows that he’d quite literally follow Jimin anywhere.

 

The bedroom brings back memories to Jimin as well, but unlike Taehyung’s childhood reminiscence, Jimin remembers heated kisses, and touching, and Taehyung screaming his name in ecstasy and -

_Fuck, I am so totally a hound dog._

 

Try as he might (and given the current circumstances), Jimin can’t seem to push down his current need. Taehyung is beautiful to the slightly older wolf, especially now after a long run, because they are completely naked after transforming, and he really can’t be held responsible for the way his body reacts to the Omega. Still, Jimin fights the need to reach out and touch, but everything in the room reminds him of how soft Taehyung’s skin is, and how delicious Taehyung’s mouth tastes. Jimin closes his eyes willing the thoughts away, because he can’t – they can’t.

 

_It just wouldn’t be right._

But Jimin’s senses are being invaded by a spicy orange cinnamon tang and it's starting to become overwhelming. The Alpha closes his eyes tighter, he can’t, they can’t, Taehyung’s parents don’t even know they’re here. The aroma grows more poignant and the stench is slowly filling every one of Jimin’s orifices. The Alpha takes a deep breath trying to calm down, because clearly it is not that Taehyung is aroused as well, it’s probably just his overactive imagination. However, with each breath, Jimin finds himself breathing in Taehyung’s aroma deeper and deeper, until his brain filled with nothing but the Omega's scent.

 

The Alpha finally opens his eyes, and is greeted by Taehyung staring at him. The Omega’s skin is flushed, and his eyes are hooded. The younger wolf is worrying his lower lips between his teeth, and Jimin decides he cannot be held responsible for his next course of action. Jimin reaches out and tugs Taehyung forward gently and the Omega crashes against him without any resistance.

 

“Tae,” Jimin’s voice is breathy, “Are you sure?”

 

Taehyung answers by leaning his head up and kissing Jimin on the jaw. The action is pure and innocent, but to Jimin’s already heated state, it’s like his internal furnace has been turned up to boiling. The Alpha cups Taehyung face in between his hands, and licks the corner of the man’s mouth, he just wants to taste Taehyung’s sweetness. But when the Omega’s mouth falls open with barely any persuasion, Jimin invades and all earlier attempts at self-control fade away.

 

The back of Taehyung’s leg hits the bed with a thud, and the Omega tries to remember when they had begun moving. He can’t remember because Jimin has total control of all of Taehyung's senses, the Alpha’s hand on his skin is feather soft and it tickles but in the best way. Taehyung falls onto the mattress when Jimin let’s go and pushes him back gently.

 

“Fuck Tae,” Jimin voice is dark and hoarse, and the look in his dark eyes sends a thrill of pleasure down Taehyung’s spine.

 

The Alpha climbs onto the bed and straddles the Omega. Taehyung reaches up and pulls the man down, kissing him roughly. Their tongues push against each other, mixing their flavors together and creating a taste that belongs to them solely. Taehyung’s hand scratches along Jimin’s back, and the Alpha growls into the Omega’s mouth, bucking his hips down, bumping into Taehyung’s crotch.

 

Instinctively, Taehyung wraps his legs around Jimin’s waist, pulling the man closer and causing the Alpha’s member to fall against Taehyung’s. The Omega gasps at the feel of the members touching.

 

“I can’t wait, Jimin, please,” Taehyung begs, his mind swimming in lust. His body has already begun to self-lubricate, and he likes the pain that comes when there is no prep.

 

Typically, Jimin would argue, he doesn’t ever want to hurt Taehyung – except for right now, he really wants to hear Taehyung scream. On the rare occasions that the Omega has been able to con him into no prep, Jimin won’t lie, the feeling of Taehyung’s tight, tight, tightness is mind blowing and the sounds… fuck.

 

Jimin’s hardness has found Taehyung’s unprepared hole on its own and as the Alpha pushes in, Taehyung screams and bucks against him, pushing Jimin further in. The feeling of the Omega’s ring of muscles constricting around his hard cock is dizzying and Jimin is trying hard to gain control over his body -- trying to not pound Taehyung into the bed, like a bulldozer to an abandoned building. But each hard thrust into the Omega’s body tells him that he is failing miserably.

 

“Jim--- fuc---, oh fu--,” Taehyung words keep getting tangled in moans and groans of pleasure mixed with pain.

 

Taehyung loves hard sex and loves when every muscle in Jimin’s body takes revenge on him. He pushes up and swallows in everything that Jimin dishes out. The Omega soothes the Alpha, telling him to let go and let it happen, sensing Jimin's need to slow down, to not hurt him.

 

“I want thi-- fuck! JIMIN!” Taehyung screams in want when Jimin finds his prostrate. He wraps his legs tighter around Jimin and arches his back off the mattress, absorbing each punch of Jimin’s hips. He comes screaming Jimin’s name and begging the Alpha to “just keep going,” painting his and Jimin’s stomachs with hot strips of white.

 

Jimin is lost; his body is moving erratic and fast, all on its own, and it feels like he’s too deep inside Taehyung and not deep enough at the same time. He’d be more worried about hurting the Omega if Taehyung didn’t take every strike of Jimin’s hip with a mix of praise and pain dripping from his lips, if the Omega didn’t beg for him to go harder and deeper. Maybe then Jimin would have enough presence of mind to be worried that he could be hurting the other. Maybe Jimin would be more conscious of the fact that he’s fucking the Omega senseless in his parents' house while they slept, and if the they wake up to their son’s screams, well…

 

But Jimin is not thinking about any of that, he can’t, because right now his body is jerking hard in pleasure and Taehyung is grinding and pushing into him. And when Taehyung breaks against him like an angry wave against the shoreline, Jimin comes hard, knotting him and his Omega together for the duration of the night.

 

*****

 

The woman can’t contain her glee as she bounces around the kitchen. Her son is home. She had thought Taehyung was lost to them forever, but for reasons that she doesn’t know, he and his Alpha are here and she is extremely grateful.

 

Namjoon walks into the kitchen and kisses her on the forehead, a smile on his lips.

 

“Excited, huh?”

 

“Yup,” she smiles back.

 

The she starts laughing, holding her stomach as a thought hits her.

 

“What’s so funny?” Namjoon asks as he pours himself a cup of coffee.

 

“Jimin’s gonna be so embarrassed when he looks into your eyes,” she giggles cutely in her hand, "He’ll know that you know exactly what happened in that bedroom last night, that you heard every sound and smelled every scent.”

 

Namjoon nods and smiles back.

 

He won’t deny, hearing your child having sex takes some getting used to, but the purple mark on his wife’s neck is a reminder that he had found the best possible way of dealing with it.

 

“I wonder why they’re here,” she muses out loud.

 

Namjoon doesn’t respond, he just smiles and kisses her again.

 

_It has begun._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys sorry for the late update, I have been really sick. Couldn't seem to stay awake. Anyway, this cleared up some of the mystery and answers a lot of questions. Now we know who the three are, were you close? Let me know in the comments. Also, yay! Vmin moments, and embarrassed Namjoon Appa. 
> 
> Happy Reading
> 
> Lulu


	9. The Past Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taehyung has a revealing dream and questions are answered.

Taehyung wakes up first. The sun shining through the thin curtains is an oddly familiar sight, one that the Omega hadn’t realized he missed till now. He turns his head and finds Jimin beside him, skin slightly flushed from the heat of sleep and the activities of the previous night. The Alpha is beautiful, like a dream and that Taehyung hopes to never rouse from it. He smiles, the sight of Jimin always makes him react the same way; as does Jimin’s voice, Jimin’s warm embrace, and Jimin’s scent (yes, everything about Jimin).

 

Taehyung loves the Alpha so much, at times it’s almost tangible, he feels he could reach out and actually touch it, his love for Jimin is so fierce. He leans over, about to wake Jimin up, and maybe kiss him one or ten times (he hasn’t decided) when the smell of fresh homemade waffles wafts into the room. It dawns on Taehyung that he’s home.

 

_Home._

 

He lets the Alpha sleep in favor of breakfast. He jumps out of bed excitedly, pulling on sweats and t-shirt before skipping down the hall to the kitchen.

 

_He’s home._

 

“Omma!” His voice is loud as he plants a kiss on her cheek and snuggles into her warm embrace, sighing contentedly, “As always, your hugs are the best.”

 

“Of course, I’m mom.” She smiles as she strokes his hair and Taehyung swears he hears the animal inside him purr.

 

“You made waffles. How did you know I was here?”

 

“You know you’re not the only one in this family that likes waffles, right?” Namjoon walks into the kitchen, “Why do you think she made them for you?”

 

“Uhmm, because I’m omma’s favorite, isn’t that right omma?” Taehyung missed this, his mother’s cooking and witty repartee with his dad.

 

“Don’t put me in the middle of this, you’re both my favorite.” The woman laughs as she watches father and son begin to banter about who _really_ is the favorite.

 

That is the scene that Jimin walks in on - love, laughter, family, all the things he loves about Taehyung, things that have been disappearing slowly over the last few months due to the dreams, which had been waking the Omega up sweating and screaming in agony. _The dreams, right_ , Jimin remembers they have a purpose for coming here. This is not just a fun family trip – he’s here to help his mate, he to find a solution to the growing uneasiness that he senses is settling over Taehyung like an angry, hostile storm cloud. He wants the Omega to sleep in contentment, he wants to make sure the smile which the Taehyung is wearing right now, the smile that rivals the sun; he wants to make sure that smile never fades.

 

“Morning Jimin,” her voice brings him back to the present.

 

“Morning, Omonim,” he leans in for a hug. She feels warm and reminds Jimin of his own mother, and the Alpha hopes she is doing well.

 

“So how did you sleep?” she smiles mischievously, “You know, when you _finally_ did sleep,” And Jimin goes red, he can feel it, the heat of embarrassment is rushing from the pit of his stomach up his neck to his ears and landing squarely and noticeably on his face.

 

“W-well, we, I mean… I slept very well. T-thank you.” He stutters out and he can’t look her in the eyes as he speaks, because yeah, Taehyung is not quiet and Jimin loves to make the younger man scream, and _crap his parents, heard…oh god please let a rock fall on me right now._

Taehyung's laughing as though he isn’t the reason Jimin is facing this particular humiliation.

 

Namjoon’s booming laughter puts Jimin at ease, “Honey stop teasing him, you know how easily he gets embarrassed.”

 

“Yes. I do. Which is exactly why I’m doing it.” She winks and Jimin goes a little redder.

 

Namjoon helps the young Alpha (and himself, talking about his son’s sex life is not on his list of things to do today) by changing the subject.

 

“Not that I’m not excited you’re both here because I am, but why are you both here? From what I know of The Clan, they’re pretty self-contained and normally don’t stray too far from The Grove.”

 

“We don’t, not normally, but-” Jimin’s not sure where to start.

 

He doesn’t want Taehyung to know how worried he is, and he doesn’t want to cast unnecessary burden on the man’s family. But the young Alpha can’t shake the feeling that he needs to talk to Namjoon.

 

Sensing Jimin’s discomfort, Namjoon steps in again, “Tell you what, I can’t think on an empty stomach and these waffles are going to get cold. So let’s eat first, then later maybe you and I can have a talk, Alpha to Alpha, huh?”

 

Jimin smiles gratefully and nods, yes, that’s exactly what he needs. Once again, he feels that sense of familiarity that he had felt the morning after he mated with Taehyung. Namjoon had felt like comfort and strength at that time; the sensation had wrapped itself around Jimin and made him instantly feel safe, cared for, and at home; and it feels the same now. Jimin can’t help but wonder what it is about Namjoon that makes him feel like he’s always been a part of his world.

They eat and chatter and the morning passes in a calm chaos of laughter, joy and funny stories about a young Taehyung. After breakfast, Namjoon and Jimin leave to have their talk.

 

Taehyung realizes that he’s tired from months of not sleeping properly (and possibly a little bit from the prior night’s activities), so he kisses his mom on the cheek then walks back to his room for a much-needed nap.

 

The dream starts the moment his head hits the pillow. It is more like a movie than a dream, it feels like Taehyung is sitting is a dark room behind a hidden glass, watching as reality unfolds in front of him. The characters look different physically, but Taehyung knows who they are- he can’t match them to their present day selves but he knows that they exist in his everyday life. She’s there too, the woman he hears in his head, the one who talks to him and reminds he has a purpose, a mission.

 

_Don’t be scared._

 

Her voice is soft and cooing and determined and strong, filled with an authority that Taehyung can’t help but obey.

 

_What is this?_

 

He asks even though he knows the answer, he knows what this is – a part of him remembers living it centuries ago… _wait that can’t be true_.

 

_It is._

 

She answers.

 

_You can read my thoughts?_

 

_Mmmm… we’ve been communicating through thought this entire time._

_What is this? Where are we? Why does it feel like I know this?_

 

 _This is the last time The_ Three faced _it, The Darkness. We are here to help you wake up, to help you remember, we don’t have much time left your Majesty, the battle is drawing closer and you need to awaken, you need to shine._

_The Darkness? The Three? Shine? Your Majesty?_

 

The words feel foreign and familiar to Taehyung and his body squirms in the bed, pushing him to remember, to understand. A loud bang from behind has him turning around in the dream. He sees them, three men approaching. The first one is yelling orders to the others, telling them to be prepared, reminding them that they are strongest together, telling them they can win. The man is long and lean in appearance, and there is a quiet masculinity to his features that is both alluring and deadly.

 

Each of the three possess auras that radiate from them like radio waves, filling the surroundings with their presence, and making the hairs on Taehyung’s arm stand on edge.

 

The man giving commands gives off a sense power and might. Taehyung feels safe and secure just knowing the other is around, he is conscious that what is happening now is a dream but that doesn’t stop the feeling of calm from steadying his confused mind. A part of him knows this man would give his life to protect him, and Taehyung shudders because it all feels so real.

 

_Who is that? He turns to the woman._

 

_That is Strength, he is the leader of The Three. He has seen you through many lifetimes and guided you to safety in many battles._

_Me?_

_Yes, you._

 

He turns back to the face the three and points to the second man, he is masculine and beautiful and reminds Taehyung of someone almost instantly (but his mind won’t tell him who). The man feels like home, fresh baked cookies, and gentleness which is ironic since he carries himself with a majestic prowess that is anything but gentle.

 

_Who is that?_

_That is Love._

_Love?_

 

_Yes, Love. The kind that sees you through the darkest times, the kind that knows the difference between fake and real, the kind that will follow you to the ends of the earth and hold you tight so you don’t fall off the edge. This Love is the real_

_one._

_“Love.”_

 

Taehyung rolls the word around his tongue because it feels right, and it suits the man before him. When Taehyung’s eyes fall on the third man, he doesn’t ask who it is, he already knows.

 

_That’s me._

 

She smiles but does not respond.

 

The man looks nothing like this version of himself, he doesn’t have Taehyung’s angled features, nor does he have his olive complexion or cat-like eyes yet it’s still him. Taehyung can feel his essence emanating from the man the way one can smell a well-cooked meal. The man possesses his openness, his eagerness, his determination to protect the ones he loves, the man possesses his loyalty – and his honesty. But most importantly the man possesses _his light?_

 

_Light, light… Am I light?_

_Yes, and that’s what makes you the strongest of The Three._

_Me? The strongest? That makes no sense._

Taehyung turns to glance at the other two; they are strong, they are power incarnate. They don’t give off his sense of uncertainty, they know what they’re about, they know what they can accomplish, he can sense their fighting spirit. But he doesn’t sense that in the version of himself that he’s staring at, that man (like Taehyung himself) has reservations, has fears, that man cannot possibly be the strongest of the three.

 

_You’re wrong._

 

Once again, the woman’s quiet voice roars with an authority that Taehyung can’t ignore, he turns to face her.

 

_You’re LIGHT Taehyung, not light-like, but a living, breathing, embodiment of LIGHT. Light that shines bright, light that makes the heart sing, and sparks hope in the midst of despair. Light, the only thing that can dispel darkness. Which is why you need to awaken, you need to remember._

 

Taehyung flails in the bed, his body is jerking as his mind tries to fight the memories. He doesn’t want to remember; he doesn’t want to wake up. In their past lives, they never experienced love, they never interacted. The Three, from the dawn of their entrance into existence, have been at war. A war to protect what they had created, their children, The Clan, The World. People who saw them as a myth, a bedtime story they told their children, people for whom they have died a millions times over only to be reborn to do it again.

 

A tear slides down Taehyung’s face, he doesn’t want to remember, because, because… _Jimin_.

 

He’s back in the dream.

 

_I don’t want to wake up._

 

She knows. She’s always known.

 

The awakening had taken longer because she had been captured, and in that time, The Three had been reborn, but she hadn’t been there to guide them from sleep, she hadn’t been there to lead them to each other, to their mission. They became something they were never meant to be, human-wolf. They became a part of what they were meant to protect, and now, now they didn’t want to leave.

 

But she knows something else as well, this interaction has made them strong beyond their wildest dreams, and this version of themselves can, no, will defeat the darkness. This version of themselves has something their past versions did not possess…a reason to fight.

 

 

_I know._

 

_I can’t lose him. If we are to lose this battle, I want to be with him, with Jimin._

_I know._

_I don’t want to remember. I don’t want to be who I was._

_I know._

 

_Stop saying that. We both know you don’t agree with me. We both know that waking up is inevitable. So please stop making me feel like I have a choice._

_I’m not asking you to be who you were. I think the ‘who’ you are now, the ‘who’ all of you are now, is exactly what’s needed. The Three that exists now, the ones that have found love, have found their soulmates – these versions can and will defeat The Darkness, but you must…_

 

Her voice is beginning to grow distant, as though someone or something is pulling her away. But Taehyung hears her last cry, feels her words breaking down the walls of protection he had built around himself.

 

**_WAKE UP!_ **

 

 ****.... and he does.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I am alive. No, I did not abandon this story (or any of my stories). Just so you guys know I'm a pre-med student and I work full-time (shhh my professors don't know), my time has been limited a lot lately. I am sorry for not sticking to the schedule.
> 
> This chapter is background mostly answering questions about The Three, it is a two parter. Next chapter Tae wakes up as Light and a more in depth back story about how this version of The Three happened. Also finally, we'll answer the who is Strength question (although I am pretty sure you've all figured it out). As always let me know what you think. Kudos and comment, comment, comment, this semester has been hard and hearing from you all is like light in the darkness (see what I did there? :D).
> 
> Happy Reading 
> 
> Lulu
> 
> Also, come talk to me on Tumblr here:https://www.tumblr.com/blog/lulublu1014 or follow me on Twitter Lulu @lsgrlr .


	10. The Past Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lot of background story happens here. We learn who Tae really is. Jimin learns more about Namjoon and Taehyung then he really wanted to.

Taehyung is in a memory-dream state, the place where your conscious is tethered to the real world, but walking in an alternate universe. His mind having released itself from the confines of reality, is moving him through space and time (to a place he had long forgotten). Taehyung is fully awake, and standing in a place he knows is not the present, is not real. The surroundings are familiar, he knows this place, where is this? His mind struggles to remember, he knows his presence here is important, there is a reason his mind brought him here, something is here for him to learn… but what?

When he sees the child he smiles, he remembers this day, this moment.

*************

_“Hyung, no, I don’t want to.” The little boy giggles looking back at the two older boys that are chasing him._

_“빛아, you need to shower. Omma said,” The taller of the two older boys calls after him._

_“Never,” the child says with defiance and picks up speed._

_He would have escaped too and made it to the grooves that he knows so well, losing his two older brothers, saving himself from a bath (baths are his enemy) – if not for the firm structure, also know as his father, that he collides with._

_“빛아, you are no longer a little one, now are you?” The man’s voice is deep and strong and it is the child’s favorite sound in the whole universe. The voice makes him feel protected and loved, even when it is scolding him. He prays to the gods (the ones who are not his father) that one day he will have a voice that carries as much authority and affection as his father’s._

_“No, Appa,” the child pouts and hangs his head._

_The man laughs at the boy’s actions, then leans down and pulls the youngster up into his arms._   
_“Our little Light is truly is as defiant as he is adorable.” The man laughs a little harder as the child crunches his brows unsure as to whether he is being complimented or made fun of._

_“Defiant to the ends of the world,” the tallest of the three boys states._

_“And freaking fast,” the eldest of the three adds through heavy breathing._

_Light giggles at his brother’s red face then bravely_ sticks _his tongue out at his two elder brothers, knowing that they won’t retaliate while he is in their father’s arms._

 _“Appa, what does_ defiant _mean?” The little boy asks, sensing that the meaning may not be positive._

_“Mmm, let’s see… To be defiant is to resist doing something. When your mother told you to have a bath, and you ran away from the nurse, that was an act of defiance.”_   
_The child purses his lips together, thinking over his father’s reply._

_“Is it a bad thing?”_

_“Yes,” his brothers answer in unison and again the youngster responds with an outstretched tongue._

_Their father chuckles, “Yes and no. Being defiant for the right reason is good, like when you stand up against evil or when you’re protecting the people you love. But, at moments like this one, when you are disobedient, defiance is bad. Do you understand what Appa is saying?”_

_The boy nods._

_“Good, alright now run along and have your bath.” The man puts the child on the ground, “You two come with me,” the father turns to the older boys, “It’s time for your_

_lessons.”_

_“Yes, Appa.” The boys again answer in unison._

_Light_ pouts _as he walks away, “I want to go to lessons too,” he says under his breath._

_“Soon enough little one, soon enough,” his father’s voice answers in his head, and Light’s pout lessens. Thought-talks were his favorite, especially when it meant his father’s tone would be lingering in his mind._

***************

The memory is the first he’s had of his real life, before all the alternate lives, before The Darkness reared its ugly head and he had to leave behind all he knew. Taehyung is left alone as the characters in his mind-movie have all dispersed. He walks around memories pouring into him like water from a jug, washing over him and reminding him that he was once a child. A child with a family that loved him, (much like this new version of himself), a child that loved to run and play and cause mischief which he (mostly) got away with.

He inhales. The air smells the same, clean and crisp reminding Taehyung of his present self's childhood, the scent reminiscent of playing amongst the laundered sheets after his mother hung them to dry. His original home is hidden in the clouds that cover Mount Hallasan (the mountains that make up the Island of Jeju). The mountain has had many names, but as Taehyung stands staring, as though through a looking glass, he can think of only one - home. The peak is majestic and almost fairytale-like in its appearance, with grass so green it seems almost fake and flowers of every color imaginable (some known and some unknown) covering the landscape like a living Monet painting.

A smile spreads across Taehyung’s lips as the sun begins to dip low, setting on the large volcanic shield (also known as the mountain high enough to pull the universe). The golden hue it casts is ethereal, and Taehyung’s breath hitches slightly stunned by the beauty he sees. As he watches the landscape change from dancing colors to spun gold, he remembers that this was his favorite time of day, in that life. The life he had to give up, ripped away the day The Darkness spread, threatening to destroy their people. He remembers now who he is, what he is: He is 빛, The Light, son of Johwa (조화 – Harmony) King of the wolf-gods, and the completion of The Three. He is a wolf-god.

*************

Jimin has a lot he wants to ask. He brought Taehyung back to his home so that he could talk to Namjoon, Alpha to Alpha. There is a lot the young Alpha doesn’t understand, but something about Taehyung’s father screams ‘power’ and ‘strength’. These are not mere words when it comes to the tall blonde, no, power and strength seem to make up the man’s very essence. Jimin knows (although his is not sure how) that Namjoon will have the answers to all his questions.

“He’s waking up,” Namjoon says suddenly.

Jimin turns to stare at the man in confusion but loses all sense and reason at what he sees before him. Namjoon is surrounded, no, engulfed by what Jimin can only describe as a tornado of light, the whirlwind has lifted the elder Alpha off the ground suspending him in mid-air. The young Alpha’s throat grows dry, not from fear (which is odd because shouldn’t he be scared?) but in awe and reverence. A desire to lay prostrate on the ground is growing within him, and his knees are involuntarily bending. He finds himself kneeling before the swirling light.

“Young Alpha rise,” a voice coming from the light urges him. “There will be time for praises later, but now, now is the time to fight. War is coming, one that is greater than any your clan has ever seen. It is a war fueled by a darkness as black as night, and that has been fed by a millennium’s worth of hatred. It’s a blackness that eats souls and devours all that is good.”

The words cause a tremble to run down Jimin’s spine, he stays kneeling unable to move.

_Taehyung._

The Omega is his first thought. He needs to get back to Taehyung, to protect him.

The voice speaks again.

“You love him.” It’s not a question, but Jimin nods his agreement anyway. “Young Alpha, the Light needs no protection, but I applaud your genuine love. He gains strength from it, but if you want to protect him you must help him wake up. Help him remember, help him let go of his fear… help him fight.”

“Fight?” Jimin regains his voice.

Taehyung, adorable, precocious Taehyung is not a fighter. A lover, yes (a damn good one too), a trouble maker (to be sure) – but not a fighter. He is about to say as much when the whirlwind speaks again.

“Young Alpha you are both correct and incorrect in your assessment. Indeed, The Light does encompass all that you believe, with one exception, he is also a warrior. A wolf God, to be more precise. A being that existed before you and will continue to do so after you. He is so above your finite understanding that even if I tried to explain who he is, what he is, you will still never fully perceive. Just realize that he is your only hope, for only light, true light can dispel darkness. Only you can wake him young Alpha—you are what he needed all along. Go to him young Alpha, and awaken your sleeping beauty.”

The voice ends abruptly as does the whirlwind, yet Namjoon stays suspended and Jimin realizes that Namjoon is the voice.

“Who are you?” His voice trembles around the question, the sense of being in the presence of greatness lingers.

“I am Strength, leader of The Three, brother of Light and Love.”

“Light and Love?” Jimin pauses before asking another question, one he knows the answer to. “Taehyung is Light?”

“Yes.” The voice does not elaborate.

“Who is Love?”

“All in due time little one.”

“I don’t understand. How can Taehyung be a god? He’s my mate, and he’s flesh and bone, he laughs and cries… how?” Jimin is not really asking for an answer he is merely saying his thoughts out loud. He can’t think straight, all his thoughts are flooding in at once. The world as he’s always known it has been flipped on its head, and he is not sure which way is up.

Namjoon descends to the earth and walks towards Jimin. He reaches down and pulls the Alpha into a standing position. “You have many questions young one and to answer them with words would be tedious. So instead I will show you.”

Namjoon lays his hand on Jimin’s forehead. The touch has the younger man free falling but not to the ground, instead Jimin is traveling through time and space, and when his feet finally find a solid terrain he realizes he is in a land not his own and not of this world.

“Are we in heaven?” Jimin can’t hide the awe from his voice.

Namjoon laughs, “No, but close. This is Mount Hallasan, our home.”

“Home?” Jimin asks, he’s not sure where to look. His surroundings are surreal, like a dream or a fairytale, and vibrant colors are accosting his eyes in every direction. He sees reds, blues, and yellows yet they are nothing like his knowledge of the colors. Here the colors seem alive, here colors breath and move and paint the surroundings anyway they choose, and Jimin is mesmerized.

“Yes, home.” Namjoon’s smile is wistful. “This is where we were born, here, on the peak of Mount Hallasan is where we grew up as the three sons of the wolf god.  
Jimin continues to survey his surroundings in stunned silence when his eyes fall on a familiar site.

_Tae?_

“Yes,” Namjoon answers the non-verbal question.

“Taehyung-ah!” Jimin yells to the man standing on the other side crystal-like lake.

“He can’t hear you,” Namjoon says from behind him.

“Why not?” Jimin asks eyes on Taehyung’s frame with the same intensity of a hawk watching his prey.

“He is in a dream-memory state; his subconscious is pushing him to remember,” Namjoon answers, but Jimin senses that there is more.

“But, there’s something else isn’t there? The reason why you need me to wake him?”

Namjoon turns to face Jimin, “Yes.” But he doesn’t expound further.

Jimin forces himself to look away from Taehyung. “What is it?”

Namjoon sighs and Jimin swears the action causes the earth beneath his feet to rumble, as though mirroring the distress he clearly reads on the face of older man, god?

“He’s scared,” Namjoon eyes Taehyung wistfully. “I think for the first time, we all are.” He turns to face Jimin, and his earlier question is answered, man.

This person standing before him now is most definitely a man. A man who is hurting, who is worried, who is fearful, and Jimin feeling that same sense of closeness he felt at their first encounter reaches out to comfort.

Namjoon continues, “We weren’t meant to cohabit, only to protect, to fight – to, to save. But the last war was violent, perhaps the most violent we’ve ever faced. We barely made it out. They captured our guide-” He turns to look at Jimin.

“Your guide?” Jimin feels overwhelmed. He’d brought Taehyung back to his home to find answers, but this, this was beyond even his wildest imagination.

“Yes, a spirit guide. All wolf packs have one, even yours.” Jimin eyes the man quizzically, and Namjoon laughs. “Have you ever been on the precipice of making a decision, a choice about a direction, one that would affect your entire clan?” Jimin nods. “Well, that moment when the answer becomes so crystal clear, like a light going on in a dark room – that light is your spirit guide.”

Jimin is a bit awestruck at the answer; he’s experienced that sensation on more than one occasion. That moment of clarity when it all comes together and you know, just know this is the answer.

“Yes,” Jimin chokes out a reply as the chill of realizing he’s talking to a god, a wolf god, and that he is standing on the peak of fucking Mount Hallasan, runs down his body. He is standing in a place, talking with a person, fuck he married a person who he had thought only existed in stories.

“It’s okay to be overwhelmed, little one.” Namjoon’s voice is soothing, and it brings him back to the present.

“Please continue,” Jimin’s voice squeaks slightly, still reeling from his realization.

“Unlike mortals, gods can interact with their guide, ours was somewhat of a… Mmm, how do I relate it to your world? Ah, a nanny. She has been with since birth, guiding our lessons and protecting us. After each battle we rest and regain our strength as we wait for what’s left of the world to rebuild, for what was to once again be. It is then and only then that she awakens us and helps prepare for The Darkness’ eminent return. During the last battle she was captured, and we were... were asleep for too long. We have grown attached, we have fallen in love -- and this time we all have things that can be lost.” Namjoon turns back in the direction of Taehyung. “Light, although the strongest, has always been the most tender.” Namjoon sighs again and returns his gaze to Jimin. “He loves you Jimin, but not in the way that you understand love or the way any mortal does. Your love is limited, finite, it only goes so far, but Light’s love is eternal. It bends through space and time to exist forever.” The wolf-god turns back to face the boy across the crystal lake. “We remember every life we lived once we fully awaken, which is what Taehyung is doing right now -- we remember ever battle we’ve fought and the face of every mortal we were unable to save. We are eternal, we will always remain. That is Light’s, uhmm, Taehyung’s personal war at the moment -- if he can’t save you, Jimin, if he can’t… He doesn’t want to awaken, ever again.”

Jimin is taken aback. He is used to carrying burdens. He used to battle and as the Captain of The Clan army. He understands war. Yet even though Namjoon had used words he knows personally, everything the man says sounds foreign to his ears. How many wars have they fought? How many lifetimes has Taehyung had to live through being haunted by the ghosts of the people he couldn’t rescue? Jimin’s heart breaks. He can’t imagine the weight of what Taehyung is feeling right now, and the last thing he wants to be is something that adds more stress.

He turns to Namjoon, “Whatever you need me to do, I will do it. I’ll do it for Tae. I may not be eternal, but my love will also bend through time and space for him.” Jimin’s voice his firm. He knows that he may be finite, but he is certain that his love is not.

Namjoon smiles is weakly. Suddenly the blonde looks tired, and Jimin tries to remember if the man had always looked this way. “Jimin, I understand your desire, and I appreciate your willingness to step into battle. But before you sign on the proverbial dotted line I need you to understand, to truly understand what you’re agreeing to.”  
Once again Namjoon touched Jimin’s forehead, propelling the young Alpha through time and space. Jimin eyes are shut tightly as the winds of traveling whip his skin, and the sensation is like driving with the car windows down. His eyes are still closed once his feet hit the ground, and he takes a moment to clear his fuzz-filled brain.

The scent hits him the moment they arrive, and for the first time since this whole ordeal began Jimin feels fear. He doesn’t want to open his eyes. The smell of blood and something else, like sulfur but darker, almost sinister, fills his nostrils and his inner wolf howls, ready to fight. The rage in him begins to grow, and his bone structure begins to change. He’s ready for war. He feels Namjoon’s hand on his shoulder holding him in place and calming the wolf. The rage is slowly subsiding and his form stays intact.

“This is the past young one, and no matter how strongly your senses say _‘fight’_ , there is nothing you can do to change what already has been.”

Jimin’s eyes are still closed; he doesn’t want to open them. He’s afraid of what he will find, afraid that once he does he’ll lose all his previous strength and conviction. The fear from earlier is rippling through him, tearing through his core with razor sharp precision, hitting all his hidden weaknesses. He feels powerless and raw. He tries to control what he is feeling.

“Let it wash over you Jimin; the destruction, the devastation, you need to experience it. You need to understand why he needs to wake up, why he needs to fight. Open your eyes Alpha.” The voice is commanding, and as much as he doesn’t want to, Jimin obeys.

“Oh, God.” Jimin breath hitches, and it feels like icicles are inhabiting his throat, his heart, he was not prepared for what he saw.

“This is what we are trying to stop. This is what your world will become unless we fight, unless he fights. This is why we need The Light.”

“For only light can combat darkness,” the words fall from Jimin’s lips like honey from a jar, slow and thick.

For when he opens his eyes, he is met by darkness, a blackness so dense, so concentrated it threatens to fill his lungs and stop his breathing.  
His wolf howls within him, and when he turns to face Namjoon his eyes are a bright Alpha blue and his voice is more growl than language.

“I will do it. I will awaken The Light. We will fight, and we will win.”

As he watches Namjoon’s hand rise toward his face, like a slow motion scene from an action film, he has one last thought, before he slips through time.

_We must win._

 

 

Come chat with me [here](http://lulublu1014.tumblr.com/), so I don't cry from loneliness. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *BOWS TO THE GROUND IN APOLOGY* It's been a really long time and I am sorry for making you wait. I will try to be more consistent with updating from now on. This is more background and a clearly understanding of who the three are. Also, Namjoon and Jimin talk I bet Jimin wasn't expecting to hear that though. Lol. As always let me know what you think. If you like what you've read kudos, and please, please comment. So that you know this story is still not fully edited, and I will be reposting once it is.


	11. Dreamscape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The struggle gets more frantic as Taehyung’s scent grows stronger and more demanding, as though it’s begging, no, ordering Jimin to take him. But he won’t, he can’t. Mating must be consensual.  
> “Please.”  
> The voice is faint but undeniably Taehyung’s. Jimin holds his head up a bit to look at the man’s face. Taehyung’s expression is pained, and Jimin recognises the need written on the Omega’s face. The man’s pheromones are pungent, the aroma so thick Jimin is almost choking on it.  
> “Please,” Taehyung’s voice cracks out and Jimin wants to, he wants to give in.

Jimin swipes his finger through Taehyung’s sweat-matted hair. The man is twitching and writhing against the crumpled sheets.

“How do I help him?” Jimin’s voice sounds small in his own ears. He feels helpless; he wants to be there for Taehyung, to support him and be the strength the younger Omega, _God_ (?) needs but has no idea how to do it.

Namjoon is watching Taehyung with an equally concerned gaze as he paces the room.

“I-I’m not sure,” Namjoon sounds forlorn. “The Guide usually walks us through this, moving us through our past to the present. But Light has been trapped in the dream-scape for too long and I really am not sure how to get him out.” Namjoon continues his long strides around the bedroom.

“Maybe I can. Guide him out that is,” Jimin says. Taehyung’s his mate and God or not the younger man is tethered to him by an invisible cord, a connection that bridges the gap between two souls, merging them as one. Jimin’s not sure how, but he knows that he can bring Taehyung back home. “Can you put me in there with him?”

“I’m not sure I can by myself, but if Love were here…I think together we could.” Namjoon sits on the side of the bed and releases a long sigh as he stares at a sleeping Taehyung. “What has you so consumed baby brother, why won’t you wake up?”

The Omega begins to jerk in his sleep. His body is convulsing so roughly that Jimin has to lie on top of Taehyung’s body to calm him down.

“Tae, please, please just wake up. Come back to me. Please.” The Alpha begs, placing a gentle kiss on the Omega’s forehead.

 

*****  
Namjoon jumps up from the bed. They need to wake Taehyung, and to do that he needs to find Love. He watches with sad eyes as Jimin flattens himself against Taehyung’s body, virtually pinning the Omega to the bed. He notes too that at the first touch of Jimin’s skin to Taehyung’s has the Omega relaxing almost immediately. Namjoon makes up his mind to find Love; they need to get Jimin into the dreamscape. He can see that the young Alpha’s pull on Light’s emotions is great, that the mating bond has indeed taken effect, and it seems that being a God does not lessen the eternal bond. Namjoon is happy about this. He feels the same pull towards his mate. She gives his life meaning. He hopes that in this extended time of the awakening ritual, that Love has found a partner as well.

“Jimin, I will be back shortly. Keep Taehyung as comfortable as you can. I need to find Love and get you into the dreamscape. I think you’re right, you may be the only one that can guide him home.” Namjoon can’t help the sigh. His connection to his eldest brother is weak. It has been growing stronger lately with Light being closer, but he can sense that Love is waking, that The Guide is calling out to him. Her power is growing, but he’s not sure that even she can wake Light.

“How will you find him?” Jimin’s voice trembles and Namjoon pats the younger on the back comfortingly.

“I can sense him, and the feeling has grown a little stronger now that Light is here. Our powers are stronger when we are together. With our powers combined, I think we’ll be able to place you inside Taehyung’s dream.” Namjoon’s not sure he’s correct, but he doesn’t voice his concerns. Jimin has more than enough on his plate right now.

The young Alpha nods.

“I won’t be long. It should only take me a night’s journey to find him.” Namjoon walks to the door and places his hand on the knob. As he turns and takes one last look at Taehyung it dawns on him that he’s raised the boy as his own for much of this life, and while he doesn’t want to lose his brother, the thought of losing his child sends torrents of fear down his spine. He will find Love, and they will wake Taehyung,

They must.

 

*****  
Jimin’s not sure when the door closed or when Namjoon left. His only thought is Taehyung and bringing him back. The Omega is calmer now, the convulsions having stopped once Jimin laid on top of him. The man still smells like orange spice, but there is something else there too, a new scent mixing with the old. The aroma speaks of power and of strength, and Jimin feels it in his core wrapping itself around him and pulling him in. He senses the new scent mixing with its orange predecessor, and Jimin realizes what’s happening the instant his wolf growls in need. Taehyung’s real self, his true aura, is bonding with Jimin’s.

Jimin tries to move but can’t. It’s as though there is an invisible rope tying him to the man. The Alpha’s mind is reeling. He can’t mate an unconscious person, _can he?_

_Fuck, what am I thinking? Of course I can’t?_

The struggle gets more frantic as Taehyung’s scent grows stronger and more demanding, as though it’s begging, no, ordering Jimin to take him. But he won’t, he can’t. Mating must be consensual.

“Please.”

The voice is faint but undeniably Taehyung’s. Jimin holds his head up a bit to look at the man’s face. Taehyung’s expression is pained, and Jimin recognises the need written on the Omega’s face. The man’s pheromones are pungent, the aroma so thick Jimin is almost choking on it.

“Please,” Taehyung’s voice cracks out and Jimin wants to, he really wants to give in.

_Don’t fight him Alpha._

This voice is female and definitely not Taehyung’s, and Jimin would be more freaked out, except he’s magically chained to his unconscious spouse who he’s seriously considering having sex with, so a strange female voice coming out of nowhere kind of fits right in.

“Who are you?” he asks and genuinely wonders if he’s losing his mind.

_I’m known as The Guide._

The voice replies and Jimin vaguely remembers Namjoon mentioning something about a guide.

“Nice to meet you?” Jimin cringes not really knowing the correct response.

_Don’t fight the bond young Alpha. It’s the only way to save Light. Once bonded to his true being, you will feel what he feels and experience what he experiences. Bonding will make you one, and it’s your gateway into the dreamscape. Don’t fight your urges. They’re there for a reason. Give in Jimin, and bring our Light home._

The voice fades and Jimin panics. Taehyung smells so fucking good, feels so fucking good, and even now tiny cries of “please” escape the man’s lips and Jimin only has so much self-control. Taehyung’s body pushes into his and he wonders of the man is really unconscious. A low moan of shit escapes Jimin’s lips, and his head begins to lower. When his mouth is touching the skin at the junction where Taehyung’s neck and shoulder meet Jimin’s whole body tenses. He wants to bite, wants to knot, wants to sink into his mate, claiming him once more. But every moral lesson his mother has ever taught him comes to mind, and he's fighting the urge to give in with all his might.

“Yes. Please, please…Jimin-ah.”

_He said his name._

_Taehyung fucking said his name._

_Consent._

…And he bites.

 

 

****  
The night air is cool as it swishes through his golden brown fur and it spurs Namjoon to run faster. The further south he goes and the closer he gets to the home of the area of The Clan, the more distinct and evident his brother’s aura becomes and Namjoon knows he’s close.

_You’re near, very near._

Her voice rings in his ear.

 _How much further? How will I recognise him?_ He questions in his mind.

_The same way you always do._

He smiles inwardly.

 _On the eve of Taehyung’s sixteenth birthday, that was the night that Namjoon’s awakening began, the night he realized that Taehyung was more than just a son he loved. He noticed the mark on Taehyung’s wrist as they were cleaning the patio. He didn’t bother to ask the child about it, Namjoon knew he was the only one that was able to see it. The mark (an eagle created from flames) was glowing on the boy’s wrist, it was a sign, an adornment placed on each of their arms by the elders that_ allows _them to find each other no matter what form they take._

It’s just moments before sunrise when Namjoon finally reaches his destination. The area reeks of Love’s essence; the man is here, and he is a part of The Clan. Namjoon quietly enters through the protective arch. The dome-like structure had been placed at the entrance by Namjoon’s father many centuries ago when The Clan was determined to be the chosen of the Wolf Gods. If an enemy or a predator tries to pass into Clan territory an alarm will sound, alerting the wolves to impending danger. The alarm doesn’t go off, it does nothing as Namjoon crosses its borders and steps onto Clan property. There are no alarms as he follows his brother’s essence to the bungalow with the title LEADER. Namjoon smiles. He’s proud of his eldest hyung, proud of where this life has taken him, proud that despite not knowing he is still protecting their chosen people.

He knocks on the door as the sun slowly starts to spread across the horizon. He’s not sure what to expect, not sure how the man will take the news. Namjoon silently prays that Love has awakened because he’s not sure how to he’ll even begin to explain why he is standing at the door at sunup.

“Who is it?” The voice isn’t familiar.

“I’m here to see the Leader,” Namjoon replies.

A black haired man opens the door, and Namjoon knows immediately it is not his brother. This man is but a child, a beautiful child, but a child nonetheless.

“What do you want with my mate,” the child asks defensively, taking a stance of protection and

Namjoon can’t help that he smiles.

“I have important business to discuss with him, and it’s urgent. Many lives are at stake.”  
The boy eyes him cautiously as though evaluating Namjoon’s personage to decide whether he can be trusted or not.

“Jungkook,” the voice is not familiar, but the tone and the weight it carries, the way it infuses the listener with calm and peace... Namjoon knows undoubtedly that it’s the voice of Love.

“This man says he has an important matter he needs to discuss with you,” Jungkook replies, eyes never leaving Namjoon.

“Who is it,” the voice asks as it gets closer.

“Don’t know, I’ve never seen him before,” Jungkook replies.

A tall man with broad shoulders makes it to the door in seconds, sword in hand, and Namjoon almost laughs. The man pushes the dark-haired man behind him, protecting the younger man from danger. Namjoon can only assume he’s the danger.

“I’m not here to harm you,” Namjoon says as he slowly lifts his arms.

He’s hoping against hope that the awakening process has begun on the man because if it has, his brother will be able to see the mark on his wrist. Namjoon would hate to start the family reunion with a fight. He pushes up his sleeve exposing his wrists, as he continues to slowly raise his arms as though in surrender. Namjoon knows his prayers have been answered when he hears the sword fall to the ground with a loud thud.  
“I know that, why do I know that?” The man is pointing at the seal on Namjoon’s wrist.

“It’s a long story brother, one that will slowly start coming back to you. I promise to clear everything up on the way Love, but right now Light needs us. He’s fighting the awakening, and I’m not sure if I’m strong enough to wake him on my own.”

Namjoon knows he’s being unfair. The look of utter confusion and worry on Love’s face tells him the man has no idea what is going on, but he also sees trust. Despite it all Namjoon knows that Love believes him and knows that the man will follow him. They’re connected, the three sons of Harmony, God of the wolf people, and right now the youngest is in trouble and needs their help.

“Brother?” Jungkook asks.

“Yes, I-I think I’m beginning to remember, bits and pieces. There’s a third, right? A younger sibling?” The man’s beautiful face contorts and Namjoon thinks it’s odd that no matter what form they take Love is always the most beautiful.

“Yes, and he’s in trouble.” Namjoon yells as he walks through the door, transforming almost immediately, golden brown fur shining in the sun.

“Strength?”

_Yes. It’s me. It’s time to transform Love, tell your mate to do the same._

The younger man to his credit doesn’t question nor does he throw a tantrum demanding to know why. Instead he transforms and follows his mate. Namjoon sees a quiet strength in the young black-haired Omega and smiles knowing that once again the right mate has been chosen.

As they travel back to Taehyung, Namjoon thinks back on all the wars they’ve fought all, the battles they’ve lost, and it dawns on him that this is the first time they each have a reason to fight. It’s the first time that they have people they want to protect, it’s the first time that they each have a love that makes them stronger.

As the morning sun continues to beat down on them, warming their fur and their hearts, one last realization makes it’s way into Namjoon’s very analytical mind. This is also the first time they have a reason to win.

 

**********A/N**************  
Come talk to me[ here](lulublu1014.tumblr.com)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, sorry for the long wait, and way late update. I hope you enjoy the chapter. It's set-up for things to come. Please kudos and comment if you like. Thanks for reading. I adore you all :D


	12. The Wolf-Gods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jimin brings Taehyung back, the only way he knows how.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First a big THANK YOU to Bug for making my stories readable. She completes me (so cheesy I cringe). 
> 
> Also, to you all for your patience in waiting for updates, I will forever be grateful to all of you. I hope you like this chapter. Please, comment and kudos if you do. Your support means the world to me.
> 
> Lastly, CONGRATULATIONS TO BANGTAN FOR 2016 MAMA ARTIST OF THE YEAR!!!!!

Taehyung is stuck in the dreamscape, lodged between reality and his past.

He’s floating, drifting lost, in a world not his own. Blackness and destruction are before his eyes; the devastation and decay of war surround him, locking him in like a prisoner in a cell. The smell of death wafts through his nostrils and the scent is horrific, disgusting as it curdles in his stomach. He closes his eyes trying to block it out, focusing not on what he sees, but what he feels.

Hands, small, firm, and soft are trailing up his abdomen. He squishes his eyes together tighter, forcing all his focus on the sensation, the feeling that the hands are creating. He can feel love in the touch, peace in the touch, the owner of the hand is his home.

“Taehyung, I need you. Come back to me.” The voice is melodic, and puffs of warm breath are impacting his neck and cheek. ”Please, come back.” The voice sounds distant, hollow, like it’s being yelled into a deep hole, but it resonates in his heart, each beat screaming, begging, telling him to come home, to come back to _him_.

A hard body pushes into his, gyrating, and he responds by pushing back, grinding, embers turning into flames which consume him.

He opens his eyes expecting to see pouty lips and a button nose, but finds broken, bloodied bodies piled one on top of the other like stones in a memorial. He smashes his eyelids together, rejecting the sight, the memory. Jimin’s presence is still there, still ghosting along his skin, sinking into his soul, like a seed planted in Taehyung’s soil that’s growing and blooming. He focuses on the man, on his touches, on the words of encouragement and love being whispered into his skin.

Lava-like heat is radiating between them, and Taehyung’s being slowly devoured, melting into the hot, hot, _hotness_ of Jimin’s lips on his skin, and Jimin’s hand in his hair, pulling and tugging, creating friction everywhere. _Everywhere._

“Yes, please, please Jimin-ah,” his mate's name falls off his tongue as desire burns brighter, nearing absolute heat.

Fangs piercing his flesh have him _falling, falling, falling_ like a rabbit through a hole, never to land. The earth has disappeared from beneath him, he’s weightless and floating in an ocean of Jimin’s love engulfing him.

This time when he opens his eyes, it’s to bodies flush against each other. It’s to Jimin’s breath in his ear. It’s to broken screams dripping from his lips, to Jimin’s knot filling him up, tying them together, reminding him where and to whom he belongs.

“Jimin, Jimin, Jimin.” It’s the only word he knows.

“I love you so much, so much, Tae. Please don’t leave me again.”

He wants to reply, to say he never will, to say that he’ll be by Jimin’s side until the end of time. Words are swallowed by heated kissing as Jimin steals his breath right from his lungs, pushing his knot deeper in. He senses the Alpha  in every fiber of his being. Jimin’s name is written on every neuron of his nervous system, shooting through him like an electric current, culminating in an explosion as Taehyung cums hard, painting his and Jimin’s stomachs white.

They lie quietly together, tied to each other by a bond of love. The room is filled with stilted breaths, as they each try to regain their composure. Taehyung dares not speak, the weight of what just happened impacting him. Jimin didn’t just have sex with him, no, it was something far more intimate, far more personal, far greater than mere physical contact. The Alpha had used their bond to bring him home, to bind them together. Jimin has saved him from his past. Emotions overwhelm him, and in this form (as Wolf God) he realizes it’s the first time he’s ever felt anything that was bigger than himself, bigger than the three.

“Are you okay?” Jimin’s voice breaks through his fog.

“I think so,” he answers. Their bodies are still connected, Jimin still locked into him.

“Don’t leave me again, okay?” The Alpha’s voice trembles around the question.

“I promise, I won’t.” He means it; he will do whatever it takes to always stand beside JImin.

“Do you remember? Who you are?” Jimin asks as he rolls them to the side, sliding an arm between Taehyung and the mattress to pull the Omega/Wolf-God against his chest as they wait out the knot.

“Yes,” he answers. “I remember everything. Thank you for bringing me back Jimin. I’m not sure I would’ve been able to do it on my own. You make me stronger, better, and…I-I didn’t want to come back -- every piece of me is scared that I will lose you.” He sinks deeper into Jimin’s warmth, “I can’t lose you.”

“You won’t, Tae. I make you stronger, remember? I wasn’t there to help you before, but I’m here now. We fight together, win together, _stay together._ Got it?”

“Yes.” His voice is soft, and he feels vulnerable and raw. Not God-like in any way.

The Three have fought this war thousands of times before, never winning and never losing. Always a draw, always needing to fight it again. There've always had causalities, innocents who died so that the fight could be born again. They mourn the deaths and the sacrifices. It’s never really affected them, not personally, but losing Jimin would be like losing a part of himself and the thought is unacceptable.

“What are you thinking about?” Jimin asks, and Taehyung realizes that Jimin can no longer read his thoughts.

“That I can’t live without you. That we have to win.”

“You won’t have to Tae. I believe in us, we’ll win.” Jimin traces a finger along his jaw.

“What if we don’t? What if we don’t win, Jimin? What if I lose you? I won’t survive it, I won’t want to try again. I’m worried I’d let it all burn. I’m scared of myself.” That’s his fear, his reason for not remembering, his reason for staying in the dreamscape. What if he’s not the savior? What if he’s the destroyer?

“Taehyung, I’m not going anywhere. I’m not fragile or easily broken. I’m Alpha of The Clan, the Captain of the Armies. I’m a fighter. It’s in my blood, and I never lose. Ever.”

Jimin licks along his lower lip, and Taehyung opens immediately no hesitation. With Jimin he’s not a God; he’s a man, a wolf, a mate. He’s Jimin’s Omega, and he bears that title with pride. The kiss is a slow progression, and it’s like music, each note building a little higher until it crescendos. He curls further into Jimin, the movement made easier as the knot tying them together is beginning to loosen. The kiss deepens as Jimin rolls them until Taehyung is once again being pushed into the mattress by the weight of Jimin’s body. He’s hungry, and Jimin’s his food, his sustenance.

“Breathe Tae,” Jimin whispers into his lungs.

He often forgets to breathe around his Alpha. Jimin’s stunning, mesmerizing, and Taehyung can’t believe he chose him. Even now, knowing what _he_ is, the Omega still feels unworthy.

“I can’t. Not when you’re this close,” Taehyung whispers back.

Jimin smiles against his lips, and it’s like sunshine, the heat of which burns past his skin, past his organs, straight to his soul setting it on fire.

“I was so scared you weren’t going to come back, Tae, scared that I wouldn’t be able to bring you back. Did you know that there’s an invisible lady that looks after you? She creeped me out a bit at first, but then she told me to have sex with you and _instantly_ became my favorite invisible person ever.” Jimin laughs, but Taehyung can hear it, sense it, the fear the Alpha hides behind his mirth.

“Our bond will always bring me home, Jimin. I feel so much stronger when I’m around you. I was born a Wolf God. A God, Jimin, but with you, I feel like a man, a mate, a lover, and it’s the most powerful I’ve ever been.” He leans in, kissing the Alpha on the forehead, the knot has completely dissolved, but they stay connected wrapped around each other like koalas in a tree.

“Then let me help you fight.” He begins to say no, but her voice fills his mind.

He smiles. He remembers her, knows her secret, and he’s the only one of the three who does.

_Omma_

He can’t remember how he found out, how he knows. He remembers when she went missing, but he doesn’t remember _her_. It was the first war, the one that started it all, when the darkness came to consume his home, when he and his brothers were but babes. It was the only war ever won. He believes she’s the reason they won. The victory is shorted lived when in vengeance, the cloud of death focuses its attention not on Mount Hallasan, but on the earth, on the very creation the Gods are committed to protecting.

Love and Strength remember their mother, remember her smile and her eyes. According to them, Light is the very embodiment of the Queen. He pushes into Jimin’s chest, needing the comfort that’s always there waiting for him.

“She says I should let you fight with me, with us.” Taehyung voices the words that she’s giving him.

“Your guide?” Jimin asks.

“Our mother,” Taehyung answers, never able to say the title without the ache of loss present in his tone.

“Mother?”

“Mmm, I've never met her. She disappeared in the first war. I was too young to remember her. Love and Strength were young too, but they remember her vaguely. I envy them that. It’s the only war that didn’t end in a draw, the only one we won, and I believe her disappearance has something to do with that.”

A small hand is rubbing circles into his back, and he wonders if she approves of Jimin, if she would be proud of his choice.

“She must love you and your brothers very much. Because she fought and found a way to protect you then and all the years after.” Jimin’s words are a salve soothing the wounds he’s carried for thousands of lifetimes.

 _Yes_. Her voice is soft; it’s always soft.

_He’s exactly what I would have chosen for you, my son._

_I love him Omma. I don’t want him to die, but I’m scared that I won’t be able to protect him. So, are you sure?_

_Yes. He must fight.They must all fight. Your Alpha brightens your light. Love’s mate deepens his love, and Strength is stronger because of his Omega. They will help you fulfill your destiny._

He draws Jimin closer and sighs into the man’s skin.

“What is she saying?”

“That we’re stronger because of our bonds. She says we must fight together, mates and Gods as one.”

“We’ll win you know?” Jimin sounds confident.

“What makes you so sure? We haven’t before.”

“You did, once, when someone made the ultimate sacrifice. Love, light, strength... you and your brothers are the very meaning of the words. By yourself you only have light, but with me you have light plus love and strength because my humanity is crafted from all three.  That’s the purpose of a bond, to add what’s missing, bringing completion. We complete each other.”

It makes sense. _It makes perfect sense_. In every other battle they’d been fighting with only half of what they needed. Like a soldier in only half his war-gear. This time they will be fully armed, fully clothed. This time they will be ready.

He hears the howls in the distance. His brothers are close, and they bring a third with them.  He assumes Love’s mate. He’s excited to see his brothers, happy that he remembers them. His previous fears have disappeared; he’s ready to fight and win. He kisses Jimin, pouring into the man all he feels, every ounce of love, light, and strength he feels. He licks into Jimin’s mouth, into Jimin’s soul, and seats himself, his love, on the throne of Jimin’s heart.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“They’re almost here,” he says to Jimin.

“I know.”

Neither wants to move, but it’s time. They get up and get dressed. They wait hand in hand for the others to arrive in the middle of the star-lit glen. As silhouettes of three wolves break the corner, their shadows large and imposing spreading across the moonlit field, Taehyung smiles, watching their approach. A power he's never known before is filling him. It’s his light mixing with his brother's powers, burning inside of him, mending, building back parts of himself that have laid broken for far too long. Their unity is stitching the fabric of his God-hood together, flowing through him like a magnetic current, pulling at his core until it reaches its destination.

Two pairs of piercing red eyes shining against the blackness like blood on a white garment are barrelling towards him. He feels it the moment it happens, the moment the spark is lit, the moment he transcends from wolf-man to Wolf-God.

Strength howls, and it resounds in every corner and every nook in the earth. It’s a battle cry, an announcement.

The Gods have arrived… _darkness beware_.

 

 

***************A/N******************

Come scream at me [here](lulublu1014.tumblr.com), let' cry about lovely vmin together.

  



	13. The Battle Of Light And Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final battle rages...can Light conquer The Darkness?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First and foremost a big thank you to Bug, for Englishing this. She is amazing guys, go check out her stories, bugarungus on AO3.  
> Secondly, I apologize for how long updates are taking. I have been super busy with life, work, school, and I got engaged...so yeah. Next, I cried a lot while writing this, war is hard. It's not too graphic. So, if blood and guts are not your things, fear not, the coast is clear. Please, kudos if you like and drop a comment. Comments are like gold tbh. Love you all <3<3<3 :3

The is air is thick with a cloud of smoke so dense it blocks out the sun. The stench of blood, sweat, sulfur, and rotting corpses fills the atmosphere; the scent sticks to Taehyung flesh like a second skin, and he hates it. The fog-like smoke obscures the faceless enemy advancing in the distance. Transferring the cold steel rod from his left hand to his right, Taehyung takes a deep breath and steps forward eyes fixed on the enemy before him, a Nefarine. Blood red eyes glowing brightly are a stark contrast to the creature’s dark armor-like exoskeleton, and the razor-sharp teeth seem almost radiant against the creatures midnight black form. The animal is a creation of The Darkness, and it has one purpose: to destroy and consume anything and everything in its path.

Taehyung steps over the body of a fallen comrade as he shifts his position. The monster growls and once again bares its fang-like teeth in a nasty snarl. As it advances towards him, he takes a step back, dodging the Nefarine’s attack. The sword feels heavy, weighted, almost burdensome in his grip. So much hinges on the outcome of this war, the future of the world and his relationship with Jimin... he has a reason to fight, a reason to win. He clears his mind and focuses all his energy on the enemy before him; he can feel his strength building. He hears Strength calling out commands in the distance and Love answering back, his brothers, and he smiles…they’re strongest together. They need to win; there’s no other option. He positions the tip of his weapon at what he assumes is the monster’s throat.

Arrows whistle by, hitting men and dirt alike, covering the sludgy ground in a thick red liquid. The sound of the warriors and friends dying is a gruesome noise to Taehyung’s ear. He says a silent prayer for their souls and thanks them for their bravery.

A blood-curdling cry rips through the atmosphere, and Taehyung freezes… _Jimin where is Jimin?_ He turns quickly, sword held high to keep his opponent at bay, eyes frantically scanning the battlefield, looking, searching for any sign of his beloved. He soon finds the man; he breathes a sigh of relief. Jimin’s crouched, shield held above his head, ready to pounce the approaching Nefarine. Taehyung assesses the situation and smiles. Jimin’s a warrior through and through. He hears Jimin yell an order to his men before raising his spear in the air. The wolf-god watches with pride as his beloved pierces the Nefarine’s armored flesh with a powerful thrust of his spear. _Well done my love_. Taehyung turns, once again facing the danger before him, moving forward, the weapon held tightly in both hands. The monster lurches at him, its eyes ablaze, filled with the fury of The Darkness. Light leaps above the Nefarine and skillfully lowers his blade as he lands, cutting the monster down with one swift strike.

Another Nefarine appears so damn fast it’s as though it materializes out of thin air. Taehyung nearly misses seeing it, but luckily he catches a glimpse of it in his peripheral. The wolf-god’s body seems to react on its own, without conscious thought, honed by decades and decades of fighting this very same fight. He slides to the right, opposite of the direction the monster is circling as it rushes him, Taehyung’s vision blurs as the battle resumes, images of past fights flooding his mind. The Nefarine throws a punch with its left hand as it tries to hook its left leg with Taehyung’s in an attempt to drop him to muddy ground. Taehyung moves forward and to the right, slapping his arm against the animal’s back as he slips past. The impact catches the monster between his shoulder blades, knocking it off its axis, and Taehyung feels the armored skin bend inward. The Nefarine falls with a cry, and Taehyung wastes no time slicing it through the chest with his sword.

“Light, look out!” Namjoon’s voice comes from behind him.

He turns in time to see a small mob advancing in his direction; Love is beside him almost instantly.

“Get behind me, Light,” the older wolf orders. “You’re not strong enough yet. We need you at full capacity; grab my hand. Strength come quickly!”

The bonding, it’s all coming back to Taehyung slowly. _They’re strongest together_. The mantra has been playing in his brain since before the battle started, and as his brothers lay their hands on him, the words begin to make sense. He can feel the power building in him as a slow heat spreads through his body. His feet are firmly on the ground, at least he believes they are, but he feels like he’s levitating, floating. He grabs onto Jin’s arm, hoping to ground himself.

“It’s okay, Light. You’re fine; we have you. We’re strongest together, always remember.” Strength’s voice is soothing, like medicine, calming his soul.

Taehyung hadn’t realized his eyes were closed until he opened them. His view is different, clear, pristine as though he has x-ray vision. He’s hyper aware of everything around him, the position of each the warriors on the field, and he hears each heartbeat and watches as beads of sweat mix with blood and dirt. He can see each move of the enemy as well. It’s how he realizes that the animal’s armor-like exterior is made up entirely of black smoke and darkness. In the past battles, he’s never noticed this. He doesn’t have the time to figure out why; what he does note is that the Nefarine can be destroyed. They are darkness, and darkness can be destroyed by light; he is Light.

Doubt shakes Taehyung’s resolve and he fears he’s not strong enough and wavers in his thoughts. When he looks up, he sees them, the enemy, approaching in the distance, their numbers have multiplied and are so vast that they’re all Taehyung sees on the horizon. He feels the light in himself dim; a cold fear seizes him, gripping his insides hard, turning him to ice; he's frozen, unable to move or think. His brothers' grips tighten, tugging, tethering him to their bond, pulling at his emotions and trying to release him from the hold that fear has on him.

“Light,” Strength’s voice comes from his side this time. “Don’t look at them; don't look at the enemy. Instead, look over there.” Namjoon points to his left. “Do you see her? She’s cowering in fear, and I, no... we are sworn to protect her. I love her Light, and I want her to live. And over there is Jungkook. Love has finally found the person that completes him, makes his power stronger, and if that’s not enough to give you the will to fight, then look in front of you. Do you see him, your warrior wolf? Jimin is unwavering in his determination, Light. He fights for The Clan, for the world…for you. You can’t give up. There will be other battles that we will lose, but not today, not this fight. Today we fight; today we win.”

Taehyung focuses on Jimin, eyes glued to his lover’s frame, to each movement of the man’s hand as he artfully cuts down his enemies. There is a firmness in the man’s voice as he commands his army and a  fierceness in the man’s eyes as he marches into battle. Taehyung focuses on Jimin, and it fortifies him, his resolve to not be defeated grows. Taehyung focuses on Jimin. He takes in every detail, and as he draws strength from the might of their love, he senses his power returning. The light begins to blaze once again, and it’s a slow fire building. He feels it heating his core. He closes his eyes and lets the glow consume him.

A sound breaks through, disrupting Taehyung concentration. He knows the owner of the tone. Jimin. Taehyung opens his eyes, and if he had a mirror, he’d see the light glimmering in his orbs like tiny flames, he’d see the embers radiating off his skin like sparks from a fire, he’d see himself transforming, embodying the very definition of…light, but he doesn’t. No, what Taehyung sees is Jimin falling to the ground, landing on his back, the man’s spear falling just out of his reach. What Taehyung sees is Jimin’s hands rising to block the inevitable blow of an approaching Nefarine, snarling and growling, beating its chest in victory. What Taehyung feels, what Taehyung feels, is anger, a burning volcanic eruption of righteous anger. The Darkness has taken too much already; the battlefield is littered with the bodies of fallen soldiers, of friends, and he will not allow it to take one more thing. NOT. ONE. MORE. THING.

 _“I believe in you.”_ Jimin’s voice breaks through his haze. _“I have faith that you can and will defeat this monster. Save me Light, save my people, save our world. I have faith…faith that you, Light, will consume this darkness. I love you.”_

The Nefarine standing over Jimin is hunched and set to pound into the warrior-wolf. Jimin kicks out, turning his body, missing the first strike.

_“Let my faith in you overcome your fear, my love. Light, it’s time to shine.” Jimin’s voice is loud in his head, and the wolf-god obeys._

 

Taehyung senses it moments before it happens, the moment he ignites, letting go of all his fears. Taehyung feels it the moment he explodes like an atomic bomb, illuminating the war-torn field like a mushroom cloud. The shockwaves spreading far and wide shattering and ripping the Nefarine and The Darkness to smithereens, filling the battleground in a glorious, radiant, all consuming light. Taehyung’s floating off the ground, held in place by Namjoon and Jin’s grip on his arms. He watches as though in a trance as the light dispels The Darkness, making it as though it never existed. He pours all of himself, all of his power, all of his being out and watches with satisfaction as the Nefarine standing above Jimin dissolves into nothingness…he closes his eyes and continues to burn.

When Taehyung opens his eyes next, the world is quiet, no screams of pain, no battle sounds in the distance. Silence prevails, like the calm just before a hurricane. He looks up and is greeted by Jimin’s smile.

“You did it, Tae, you did it.” Jimin leans in, placing a feather light kiss on his forehead.

“Is it over?” He tries to recall what happened but comes up empty-handed.

Taehyung tries to sit up but decides against it. His body feels like it’s made of bricks it crackles as he moves.

“Don’t move,” Jimin whispers in his ear. “After the battle ended all three of you just sort of crumpled the ground; you took the hardest spill because you were in the air when you fell. We managed to get the three of you back to The Clan camp so that Hoseok could have a look at you all. Does it hurt? Are you in pain?” Jimin’s tone cracks with concern as he moves his hand along Taehyung’s body, checking for broken bones.

“I feel heavy and tired. Are my brothers okay?”

“They’re still knocked out; your mom and Jungkook are tending to them. But Hoseok didn’t see anything wrong after running tests, which is good, right? I mean you’re not technically human, so he could’ve missed something. I was so worried, I’m just happy you’re awake and alert, and let’s never do that again, okay?” Jimin rambles on, stopping every so often to kiss Taehyung’s face or lips.

He tries to focus on Jimin’s kisses and Jimin’s voice, but he feels like he’s being pulled down, drowning in an imaginary ocean. His eyes begin to close, and no amount of fighting on his part can pry them open. The last thing he hears before blackness takes over is Jimin frantically calling his name.

 

 

 **MOUNT** **HALLASAN**

“We can’t just take them away from their lives.” The woman stands before the throne, defiance in her eyes.

“My love, this the way it was meant to end. They’re gods, Yong-sun-ah, not humans. They were never supposed to interact.” Johwa sighs at his blatant disappointment.

“They’ve sacrificed so much already, your majesty. Our sons have suffered through a millennium's worth of awakenings, fighting the same battle over and over again. They've given their all and deserve a reward befitting their sacrifice.” The queen volleys back.

“This is a reward, my love. The freedom to return home, to rule, to see that their mother is alive and well. The Darkness lost, and you’re free from your imprisonment. Don’t you want your sons here with you?”

“No, not if it means they have to give up the things they want the most. They won that battle not because they were gods, your majesty, but because of love. They had a reason to fight. We can’t take that away from them.”

“Neither will remember the other. Yong-sun-ah, they can’t stay; they’re not human,” The King explains.

“Then make them so. I’d rather lose them to love than have our sons live for all eternity missing a part of themselves. Johwa, being away from you, I lived everyday incomplete. They have mated, found their missing halves, and nothing, not even the most beautiful goddess on Mount Hallasan, will ever be able to satisfy them. Please, just at least consider my words, consider our children, consider their sacrifice, before you take away even more from them than The Darkness ever did.” The Queen walks out in a huff, body shaking with emotions.

The King’s eyes follow her as she walks through the doors. He runs his hand through his hair and leans back in the throne. The decision before him is perplexing.

 

 

**THE CLAN CAMP**

“It’s been three days, Hoseok, why aren’t they waking up?” Jimin’s voice is loud, too loud, and he knows it.

“I don’t know, Jimin. Their vitals are normal; there really is no reason for this coma. I’m sorry. I know you want a different answer, but I can’t give you one.” Hoseok sounds tired, and Jimin feels the sting of guilt crawling in his gut.

It’s not Hoseok’s fault, and he knows it, but he's scared and frustrated. 

“I’m sorry, hyung, I’m just so scared. What if they never wake up? I have this sick feeling in the pit of my stomach that I’m going to lose him. Like he’s going to be taken away from me, and I’ll be powerless to stop it from happening.” Jimin sits in the chair next to Taehyung’s bed and grabs the man’s hand. “I can’t lose you, Tae; I just can’t.”

_Wolf-King watches the interaction from his throne at the peak of the mountain. He sighs, not for the first time since his sons had fallen asleep. The sleep was meant to bring them home, to wipe their memories of the past, to return them to their rightful place…only now, he’s not sure which place is right._

_“Perplexing decision indeed.” The God takes one last look at Jimin and Taehyung before walking out of the room._

_He’s made a choice, and he hopes it’s the right one._

************************A/N******************************

HEY GUYS /waves like a seal/ 

come chat me up [tumblr](lulublu1014.tumblr.com) and[ twitter](https://twitter.com/lsgrlr). I'm straving for affection. 


	14. The Beginning (A Father's Gift)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Wolf King makes his choice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you believe it's over???? Me neither, to be honest. This story has seen the changes in my writing style from the first chapter (when I just started writing) to the last (almost two years later). Thank you to everyone that stuck around, that commented and encouraged me. You have been my rock through this process. I hope you like the ending; I thought going back to the beginning was the right choice. This time Tae, Namjoon, and Jin will all have a chance at life on their terms. The focus is mostly Vmin, they are the headliners after all, but you get a tiny glimpse into Jin and Namjoon as well.
> 
> And as always a BIG THANK YOU to the amazing Bug, for helping me through this process, and for making my stories readable. Love you Bugsy!!!
> 
> Thank you all. I love you <3 <3 <3.

**“There is never a time or place for true love. It happens accidentally, in a heartbeat, in a single flashing, throbbing moment.”**

**-Sarah Dessen-**

 

 

**MOUNT HALLASAN**

Her robes drag along the cold tile, creating a soft swishing sound as she walks into the bed chamber. Smiling at her spouse, she disrobes and moves the drape of the canopy, joining her husband on the king-sized, four-poster bed. A hand extends towards her, and she grabs it, entwining her small fingers with warm long ones. It's always surprising to Yong-sun how well they fit together, she and her King.

“Have you decided?” she asks, snuggling close into the comfort of her husband’s embrace.

“Mmm, yes. Yes, I have,” he responds, causing his breath to wisps across her bangs.

“And?” Her voice is impatient.

She can feel his smile.

“And you, my love, will just have to wait and see.”

“Tease.” She chuckles as he drops a wayward kiss on her forehead.

“You’re one to talk,” he sighs, and his tone darkens, lighting a fire in them both.

“I’m not in the mood to tease tonight,” she whispers, matching his flames.

“Oh, is that so?” He pulls her into his lap

“Mmm,” she responds with a contented sigh and leans in for a kiss.

 

 

 

**TAEHYUNG**

“Taehyung! Kim Taehyung,” his mother’s voice cuts through the air like a bullet, sharp and with precision. Taehyung can’t help chuckling. He knows he shouldn't laugh, but his mother’s the funniest when flustered.

“I didn’t do it,” he responds (he totally did) from his spot in the branches of the large oak in their backyard, his favorite hiding place since childhood.

“You wouldn't be hiding from me if you were innocent.” Okay, she makes a good point, but innocent until proven guilty, right? “Taehyung, it’s the eve of the coupling; shouldn’t you be doing something other than playing tricks on the neighbors?” He can hear the laughter that she’s trying to hide in her voice.

“No?” It’s not a question. “I don’t think so, and for the record, it wasn’t a trick.”

“You realized you just confessed, right?” Damn it.

“It was an act of kindness, Omma,” he defends his actions.

“Taehyung, get down here right this instant.” Their eyes meet; he’s been caught.

He should have known she would find him. In all his nineteen years of human existence, there’s never been a time when he’s successfully dodged the woman. Taehyung sighs and resigns himself to his fate. Truthfully, he’s confused by all the hubbub; he doesn’t see what the big deal is, why everyone—including his mother—is in such a disarray over a mating. They happen all the time. _Okay, fine_ _Jinin_ _??? Jim, what was his name again?_ The name doesn’t matter, what does matter, Taehyung surmises is that the wolf is a member of The Clan and has scented outside of his tribe. While the occurrence is very rare, Taehyung still doesn’t believe it warrants all the frenzy.

More importantly, he’s confident that he’s not the Omega that the Alpha has scented. He’s not sure he wants to be anyway. He’d rather spend his time frolicking through the woods adjacent to their house, picking flowers and chasing butterflies—those little flutterers are wicked fast. He contemplates making a run for it once on the ground, deciding his time would be better spent playing with cute puppies instead of prepping for something that will never happen.

“Omma,” he calls, alighting not so gracefully from the tree, foiling his plan to escape. He happily ignores the chuckle that leaves his mother’s lips at his faux pas. “I don’t get why everyone is so up in arms over this coupling. I mean, what’s the big deal? Wolves scent and mate all the time. It’s kind of what we do.” Wrong statement. “Ouch, Omma,” he yelps in pain when his mother grabs him by the ear to pull him into the house.

“First,” she starts once they enter the house, “you will march next door and apologize to old man Suho for shaving his dog. Taehyung, what were you thinking? The poor animal looks like an alien species.” Her lips curl upward, and Taehyung can tell she’s trying to bite back her laughter.

“I told you, Omma; it was an act of kindness. It’s hot outside. The pitiful thing needed it so it didn’t sweat to death. I was being humane,” he declares, unable to hide the pride from his tone.

She gives him The Look, the one he’s memorized since infancy, the one that says she wants to argue with him but has decided against it. Taehyung gets The Look a lot. His mother sighs as she stares at him, and it sounds like a victory to Taehyung.

“Whatever your reasons, you will still apologize.”

Victories are sometimes short lived.

“Yes, Omma.” Taehyung concedes defeat, sort of, fully intending to work in the fact that animal cruelty will not be tolerated into his apology speech.

“Secondly,” his mother continues, as they cross the threshold into the kitchen, “when you return, you will get ready for tonight’s mating ritual.” He would argue, he would, but his mother is giving him The Other Look, the one that says this is not up for discussion.

Taehyung turns to face his father who is standing in front of the sink, filling a cup with water. He can tell that the man is trying to avoid eye contact at all costs. His father is not one for conflict, which Taehyung has always found to be in direct contrast with the aura that the man gives off. Typically he lets his father off the hook, knowing the man hates to be put in the middle, but not today. Today, Taehyung will not be denied. He continues staring, boring invisible holes into the man’s back as he waits for him to turn around.

They've always had this connection, his father and him. It’s as though they can read each other’s minds and see each other’s action without looking. When Taehyung was eight, he’d wandered off while exploring the wooded area behind their home and had fallen into a ditch by the creek. He remembers being scared and calling out to his father in his head, begging the man to find him. In minutes his father was there, pulling him out of the hole. When his mother questioned his father after hearing the story, she asked how he knew Taehyung had fallen in—he simply replied, I heard him calling me.

 _Finally_ , the man turns around, facing him. Taehyung begs silently for help and watches in disappointment as his father simply shrugs, as though saying, _‘you_ _’re on your own.’_ Walking towards his son and his wife, the man ruffles Taehyung’s hair and kisses his wife on the cheek as he exits the kitchen. Taehyung sighs.

“Omma, why?” he whines.

His mother sighs as she opens her mouth.

“Taehyung-ah,” his mother starts, her voice comforting like a cool breeze on a hot summer’s day, “you, my beloved son, may not see how special you are, but I do. Scenting is not just about finding a partner Tae-ah; it’s finding your soulmate, the person that completes you and makes you whole. Coupling is finding the person that fills all that’s missing in you, and you in them. I genuinely believe yours is the scent that Jimin has caught.”

“Omma, does it make sense that a member of The Clan is going to scent on an Omega that likes to play in the woods and shave puppies in the Summer? Shouldn’t he scent on someone like Sehun or Somi? They’ve accomplished so much. Omma, I love you for thinking it’s me that Jimin has come here for, but we both know I don’t have anything to offer.” Taehyung’s just stating the facts.

“I can’t make you believe, Taehyung. But I am a hundred percent going to tell you I told you so when it happens. Now go apologize to old man Suho.”

“Nae,” he replies and starts to leave. “Omma, if it doesn’t happen, if Jimin doesn’t come for me, uhm, you’ll still love me the same, right?” He hates disappointing her.

Her smile is like the sun, like a cosmic explosion washing Taehyung’s worried spirit in warm, bright light.

“Taehyung, I will always love you. Always. Now go, and hurry back.”

“Nae, Omma.”

 

 

 

**MOUNT HALLASAN**

They’re sitting on the edge of the koi pond. Yong-sun runs her fingers through the water; the action reminds her of a young Light. It was his favorite spot as a child. In moments when he went missing, they always knew he could be found sitting by the pond, playing in the water and talking to the fish. She smiles, knowing her Light will never lose that child-like innocence.

“Are you upset with my decision?” her King questions, and she can hear the worry in his tone.

“No. It’s perfect. Just perfect, my love.” She turns to face him, wiping away the tears pooling at the corners of her eyes.

“But you’re crying.” He comes to sit next to her.

“From joy, my King, not sadness.” She leans into his touch as he wipes a stray teardrop from her cheek. “I wanted this for them. I want our sons to live a life free of worry, fear, and the burdens they’ve carried for hundreds of years. I just…I-I will miss them. But I know at the end of their human lives they will be back home, and I can wait for that.” She turns to kiss the hand resting on her face.

“It’s the reason I wiped their memories.” She looks up at her spouse. His eyes reflect how difficult the decision was for him to make; in giving up his children, the King chose to be selfless. It’s a choice every parent has to make. However, it’s always hard. “I wanted them to have a fresh start, a chance at real love with no strings, no obligations.” He sighs.

“I know. I understand. It needed to be done. They don’t know who they are now, but one day they will. Until that day, let’s protect them and keep their love safe.” He nods.

They get up and walk back to the court hand in hand.

 

 

**JIMIN**

For Jimin, the world is a mixture of all five senses working in harmony. He can feel the wind as well as taste and smell it. He can sense the rain before it falls and feel the change it creates in the atmosphere. He can hear the beating of a heart from miles away and know the emotional state of the person the thumps belong. He’s an Alpha of The Clan; he’s from the line of the “Originals.” He was born this way, not created from a bite. The true blood of the wolf flows through his veins and makes his heart beat. He’s a warrior, a fighter, a man of action…and anxious.

Tonight, his tribe is stilled, quieted by anticipation, waiting with baited breath for history to be made. The Ritual of Coupling has begun. Jimin’s heart beats hard against his chest, his body tingles and throbs, and he’s having trouble forming proper thoughts. The scent of his Omega is strong, and it’s all he can concentrate on and it flusters him. Tonight, he will meet the person that will stand by his side for all eternity. It should be exciting; he should feel joy, but all he feels is nervous, worried about the ramifications that this Coupling could have on his tribe.

The Alphas of The Clan have always scented on their own; it’s what has kept their bloodline pure for centuries, free from defect and contamination. He’s worried that he will be the cause of the deterioration and possible destruction of his people because he’s the first Alpha to scent outside of the tribe. The scent first came three months ago while he was out on a hunt, and it hasn’t left him since he first sniffed the orange spice, since it seeped into his soul and grabbed hold of his heartstrings, refusing to let go. Jimin struggles to keep his sanity, and it’s difficult because he wants the owner of the aroma so badly he can feel the heat of the Omega’s skin against his in still quiet moments; the sensation is so intense, so present, so real. The scent is constantly with him, like a warm blanket draped over his soul, wooing him and drawing him to his mate.

There are minutes and seconds in the day when Jimin swears he’s going crazy, the need is so fierce. When the feelings are most potent, Jimin dreams of the day he can finally sink his fangs into the warm flesh of his mate and feel the pulsing of their blood as he claims. The raw need scares him to death. As the leader of the army, he’s used to being level-headed and clear minded. This blind desire is worrisome to him; it throws him off kilter. Will his yearning for something outside their fold be the undoing of his tribe, of his people? He’s doesn’t know. Which is why he can’t help the feeling of failure that plagues his thoughts and invades his dreams, making this time of joy a nightmare he can’t wake up from.

“You still worried about tonight?” Yoongi’s voice breaks through his revery.

“Yes,” he answers simply, there is no need for lengthy explanations, not with Yoongi.

“You know you’re not doing anything wrong, right?” Yoongi’s tone is like water refreshing his desert dry soul.

He sighs in response to Yoongi’s question. The Clan has been supportive from the moment they learned of his Coupling. Jimin appreciates it, he does, but it doesn’t lessen his fears. _Who is this Omega? What if he brings danger to The Clan?_ He’s too deep in toignore the claim. He needs the Omega. If he tried to run, the wolf in him would explode.

“I was thinking,” Jimin starts, slowly turning to face Yoongi, “that once I mate, we shouldn’t return here. I can’t deny the mating; the need is too strong. I’ve never even seen this person’s face, and yet my love for them is so strong, I’d be willing to die or kill for them. But I-I don’t wish to bring shame to The Clan or be the cause of its destruction. So, maybe I should just leav--”

“No,” Yoongi cuts him off, and the declaration carries an authority that has Jimin standing at attention. “That’s a coward’s way out, running away. Our strength, our greatness as a people, comes from the fact that we stand together as one. The Clan, Jimin, lives or dies together. If you leave, you will break us, because you will be taking an integral part of what makes us strong with you.”

Jimin’s heart swells at Yoongi’s words. He wouldn’t survive without them, he knows it, but it’s nice to know they won’t survive with him either.

“Mate, Jimin. Then come home. We’ll face the rest together.” Yoongi pats him on the back. “Let’s go back; your mother sent me to get you. Preparations have already begun for tonight’s ritual.”

He nods and allows the man to guide him, his stomach churning with a mixture of excitement and fear. He’s ecstatic at the thought of finally running his fingers along the warm flesh that has been plaguing his dreams. He can’t wait to finally lay eyes on the person that is his other half, the cause of all the havoc that’s been unleashed on his emotions, but he’s also sad. He’s not ready to leave this time in his life behind. His youth and freedom that have been his and his alone for the past nineteen years, now belong to someone else.

Mating means he can no longer come and go as he pleases. He’ll have a partner now, someone whose feelings and emotions he has to consider before his own. Jimin’s life has been selfish for the last nineteen years. However, today, on the eve of his twentieth year, the thought of changing the “me” life to a “we” life is slightly terrifying.

“Jimin-ah, where have you been?” his mother asks, tone troubled, as they enter the great hall.

“I just needed to clear my mind, Omma. Sorry for worrying you,” he apologizes and walks to his mother’s side, taking the extended hand in his own.

“I understand,” she replies without pushing further, and Jimin’s thankful. “Come, you need to rest now. Midnight will be here before we know it. The need to mate will grow stronger, consuming you like a poison coursing through your bloodstream, and it won’t stop until you mate.” She pours a green liquid into a glass and hands it to him. “Drink this; it will help you sleep and prepare your body for the stress of what’s coming.”

Jimin takes the drink from her, eyeing the liquid curiously. He sees a smile playing on his mother’s lips at his trepidation, and she gestures for him to drink. He brings the mug to his lips, swallowing the contents. The juice is sweet and reminds him of honey straight from the honeycomb in both consistency and taste. As the liquid hits his stomach, the young wolf is filled with an immediate warmth and comfort that soothes him to slumber. He vaguely feels his mother’s hand on his arm and back as she leads him to his bed. He hears her singing, or he thinks he does; his mind is foggy. Jimin falls asleep wrapped in a blanket of love and peace.

 

 

**TAEHYUNG**

“You’re back!” his mother exclaims as he walks through the door, and Taehyung briefly wonders if she expected him to run away. He won’t lie; he thought about it.

“Omma,” he says, expending a puff of air, “I don’t think this is necessary.” The statement falls on deaf ears; his mother is already tugging at his clothing as she pulls him to the bathroom.

“Taehyung-ah, my beautiful child. You are an Omega, and in my humble estimation, you’re perfection. From your boxy smile to your twinkling, mischievous eyes, right down to your selfless, loving soul. Tonight a member of The Clan, from the lineage of the Originals, has scented outside of his fold. Taehyung, only the purest of scents could have caused that to happen. Why are you so insistent that that Omega isn’t you? Why can’t it be you? What makes Jongin and Sungjong somehow better than you? Are they more special than you? Would they have thought to shave the neighbor’s dog because its fur was too hot for the season? Would they spend all night sitting up in a hospital room with a sick old lady until her family was able to make it to her? While there may be smarter Omegas or more well rounded Omegas out there, you, my child, are a matchless treasure.”

Taehyung is awestruck by his mother’s words. Not because he believes them, but because it’s a glimpse into how she sees him. Her words are an elixir soothing his soul. He’s never felt like he quite fit in anywhere and has always had this nagging sensation that he was meant for more, but Jimin’s mate? Taehyung doesn’t believe it is him, and he feels a tinge of sadness thinking about the disappointment his mother will feel when the sun rises and she walks into hs room to find him just as she left him. He stops arguing and allows her to have this moment.

A sudden drowsiness swirls around him, threatening to knock him down. It’s odd to feel this sleepy so early. His mother rubbing scented oils into his skin is very relaxing, and Taehyung surmises it to be the cause of his sleepy state. He inhales, and a mixture of honey and lavender fills his nostrils. Taehyung’s first thought is that it smells romantic; if love, romance, and wooing had a scent, this soft, sweet, flowery scent would be it. By the time his mother pulls the white linen mating gown over his head, Taehyung’s eyes are droopy, and it feels like sand bags are weighing down his lids. He yawns, and his mother chuckles. He would ask her why, but he’s too tired to form words.

It’s nine when Taehyung crawls into his bed, every inch of his body begging for sleep. His room smells like honeysuckles and cinnamon spice. He vaguely remembers his mother saying the scent is a guide, making it easier for his mate to find him. He doesn’t ponder the matter any further because the instant his head hits the pillow, he falls into slumber wrapped up in a blanket of sweet-scented peace. In the seconds before unconsciousness comes to claim him a new scent fills Taehyung’s olfactory glands. It’s not honeysuckles, nor is it the spices that adorn his body. His mind is foggy and slipping away from him, making it hard for him to place the origin of the musky scent. All he knows for sure is that the fragrance feels like strength and power and it’s dragging Taehyung further into dreamland, and he happily gives in.

 

 

**JIMIN**

Moonlight floods Jimin’s room, illuminating the darkness and casting shadows on the walls. The young Alpha’s sitting up, suddenly emerging from a dead sleep. However, it’s not the shining light that rouses him, but a steady throbbing, a thick energy pulsing, thrumming through his veins. Sweat’s dripping down his face, falling from his dark brown locks; he pulls at his drenched nightshirt sticking to is skin, hoping to cool down. He’s hot; it feels as though his standing in the sun. Jimin’s disoriented and feels heavy and light at the same time, and on any other night this sensation would be terrifying but not tonight.

Jimin’s senses are not registering fear. Something far more primal and raw leads the Alpha to stand from his bed to remove his clothes. The scent is everywhere; it fills every orifice, every nook and cranny of Jimin’s soul, filling him with need, want--desire and the wolf inhim growls. The aroma grows stronger with each passing second, and its loud and deafening, screaming Jimin’s name, pulling him forward yelling, ordering, telling him to take action. The sweet orange spice has reached toxic levels, and it pushes Jimin closer and closer to the edge, blinding him, opening the door for the Alpha’s rage to slowly take over.

Muscles begin to crackle and Jimin stumbles, mind and body unprepared for the sudden transformation as midnight black fur replaces sunkissed skin and strong paws replace hands and feet. Jimin’s handsome in human form, but he’s magnificent in wolf form, radiating the power and strength that has come to be associated with an Alpha of The Clan. His dark brown eyes encircled in a ring of red shine bright with a message, the woe and danger that would befall anyone or anything that would disrupt the path to his chosen.

Jimin steps into the moon filled field, the light reflecting off his fur casting an intimidating shadow. Finally, _finally_ the Alpha succumbs to his rage, letting out a howl, and it’s a warning trumpet sounding, letting anyone in earshot know: the hunt is on.

It’s time to claim his mate.

 

The moment Jimin steps into the clearing, his senses are invaded by a bevy of scents, each trying to outdo the one aroma that he needs to find. The rage within the wolf is angered by the intrusion; the competing odors are a pungent affront to the Alpha's senses. The other fragrances disgust and infuriate the animal, causing the rage inside him to burn like a fire, threatening to scorch him from the inside out. The wolf lets out a blood-curdling howl out of frustration, willing the invasions to his senses to go away. The anger building inside him is making it hard for him to concentrate, and Jimin knows he needs to get himself under control. Jimin closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, wrangling all five of his senses, bringing them under control, forcing them to focus on the one goal: finding his lover.

One by one he shuts the door on anything that is not the orange spice sweetness that has kept him awake night after night for he can’t count how many nights. As the last door closes, a growl of victory escapes the wolf and bellows into the evening air.

_Gotcha!_

 

**THE MOTHER**

She doesn't realize she is crying until she tastes salt on her tongue. Leaning down, she combs her fingers through Taehyung’s sweat-drenched hair, pushing the strands from the boy’s forehead. Taehyung moans in his sleep, hands tightly grasping the blankets. She watches, and her son writhes against the sheets. She knows the signs well; the heat has begun. She was right.

It’s Taehyung; he’s the chosen mate. A mixture of joy and sadness hit her the moment she heard of Jimin’s scenting. She knew that it was Taehyung. She can’t explain how, but every fiber in her being told her it was her son. But now, now that the signs are confirming this truth, she’s scared. Mating with The Clan means Taehyung will be taken away from her, whisked off to join the esteemed tribe. The Omega has never been away from his family. Her Namjoon has always been very protective of the boy; she’s not sure her Alpha will be able to stand being separated from their son.

Tears are streaming down Taehyung face, and she wonders what the boy’s dreaming about. It’s not sad as there’s a content smile on the young boy’s lips. Taehyung sighs in his sleep, and his back arches off the bed as he begins to struggle against the sheet. She steps out of the room, returning moments later with a basin of water and a wash cloth. Gently, she runs wet cloth along her son’s brow and forehead. She can feel the heat emanating from the boy like steam from a kettle. It calms the young Omega as moments later Taehyung’s breathing evens out once again.

“I love you, Kim Taehyung,” she whispers, leaning down to kiss her son’s cheek. “I have since the first moment I laid my eyes on you. You have made me the happiest and proudest mother in the world. Thank you for letting me find you and letting me raise you. I love you to the stars and back, and I will love you to my last breath.”

Taehyung’s body begins to shake; the heat is nearing completion. Jimin will be here soon. She jumps, hearing the growl of the Alpha in the distance; she needs to leave. Tears begin to flow once again, and this time they come hard, rocking her body. She knew this day would come, but she’s not ready. A hand on her shoulder her has her turning around. _Namjoon_. She collapses into her Alpha’s arms.

“We need to go,” he reminds her. His deep voice is low.

“I know, I know, I’m just not ready. He’s still so young, still such a child. Do you think he’s ready to be a mate?” she questions.

“Bonds never lie, my love. The mating only happens when both parties are ready to be joined. Taehyung, our beautiful boy, is more than ready. He will make Jimin a fine mate. His Alpha will never want for love because Taehyung will love him with every fiber of his being.” She nods.

“He’s a very lucky Alpha indeed,” she chuckles slightly through her tears.

“He is. He is also very near. We need to leave.”

“Okay,” she responds, turning her head to take one final look at her son. “Bye, Tae-ah. I will always love you.” She lets her husband lead her out of the room.

 

**JIMIN**

The window is open when he arrives, curtains blowing softly in the wind. The Omega’s scent is overwhelming, and it’s like a sea surrounding Jimin on every side; he’s drowning in an ocean of spiced orange, cinnamon, and vanilla. The fragrance penetrates every orifice of Jimin's body imprinting on his DNA, consuming the wolf. Gliding gracefully through the air into the open frame, Jimin lands in the Omega’s room. He’s trembling, his body needy and his mouth salivating; the desire to touch and taste, to mark the Omega, is more than he can bear. Jimin’s being pushed over the edge by the weight of his heat-rage.

As he walks toward the bed, his wolf begins to recede as his human form emerges. His eyes are glued to the bed; the Omega’s writhing against the sheets. Moonlight illuminates the dark room. Jimin focuses his gaze. He desires to see his mate. What he sees once his eyes adjust has the Alpha’s breath hitching. The Omega is beautiful, smooth skin and sharp features that make Jimin’s mouth water even more. He watches as the heat engulfs the Omega. The sight is exquisite, and he walks closer, moving forward until his knees bump against the mattress. He stands observing, waiting. The boy begins to thrash harder in the bed, fighting with the sheet, and JImin wants to climb in, wants to calm him, wants to claim. He wants to give the boy’s body exactly what it’s begging for, but he waits until it’s time, until his rage not only consumes him but his Omega.

A growl escapes the Omega.

Jimin smiles.

It’s time.

He climbs into the bed, straddling the Omega’s thighs. Leaning in, he inhales, sucking in orange spice and honeysuckles, letting the Omega's aroma wash over him, filling him to the brim. It’s beautiful, the moment... this moment. It’s beautiful. Jimin has found his home.

And now, now, he…claims.

 

 

**MOUNT HALLASAN**

Queen Yong-sun watches from her throne high on the mountain peak as the young Alpha makes his way to Light, confident that the nectar which had been sent by way of a messenger to Jimin’s mother has worked. She smiles at her son’s lover.

“He’s lovely,” she states as she turns in her seat to face her husband.

The man nods.

“Strong and valiant. An excellent mate,” the King agrees.

“I’m so nervous for their meeting,” she states as she takes another peek at the young wolf. “What if he doesn’t like our Light?”

The King’s laughter fills the space, bouncing off the gold trimmed walls, wrapping itself around the Queen.

“Yong-sun-ah, nothing has changed. Jimin’s love for Light has not changed. Everything he wants is in the person of our son. They will live a life filled with unchanging, unconditional love.”

“What of Strength and Love?” She asks.

“Here, see for yourself.” With a wave of his scepter, the scene changes from Jimin to Light’s childhood home.

She watches as Strength leans in to kiss his wife. The joy that emanates from her second child is enough to fill the Queen with unspeakable happiness. Strength has been a fighter since birth, always dependable, always willing to spare his siblings from harm and pain. It’s nice to see him being dependent, being loved. The King waves his staff a second time and the scene changes to Love’s bedroom. Yong-sun chuckles and immediately covers her eyes; no mother should spy on their child’s intimate moments. She beckons for the King to end the feed, confident that Love is living up to his name if the moans of his mate are any indication.

Her children are happy and content; it’s all any mother can wish for. She takes one last look at a sleeping Jimin. This will be their final look. They’re Gods, and the temptation to interfere may be too great. From this moment on The Three shall live life with all the pain, limitation, and beauty that comes from being human.

“Thank you,” she whispers, wiping away the tear that trails down her face. “Thank you for giving them this gift.”

“I love them too, Yong-sun-ah,” the King reminds her gently.

“I know. I know.”

“It’s time,” the King declares standing to his feet and extending a hand in her direction.

She nods, accepting her husband's outstretched arm. As they exit the throne room, she says a silent goodbye, no, until we meet again, to her children. She’s confident they will be happy. The mother inside of her weeps for the time they will be apart, for the knowledge that her children will live not knowing who or what they are. The mother inside of her also rejoices that her children will live life on their own terms, giving love and receiving love. She’s happy that they will have each other. Their connection as The Three, though unknown to them, is an unbreakable bond. They will always be drawn to each other, always seek each other for comfort, always be there to lift the others up. For now, Yong-sun thinks to herself as she walks into the sun filled courtyard, for now, that will have to be enough.

 

-Fin-

 

 

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Come on over let's chat on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/lsgrlr) or [Tumblr](lulublu1014.tumblr.com)... Please be my friend :( I'm lonely. 

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you think. This was meant to be a one-shot fill from my AFF page, but the story was long, so it will be a two-shot. I really hope you all like it.
> 
> Happy Reading  
> Lulu


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